Contingent Absolution - Volume Three
by Sarrlo
Summary: Sometimes, the galaxy changes fast. For better or for worse, the crew of the MSV Hyperion changes with it. /A continuation of the story of Contingent Absolution -Volume One and Two\
1. Chapter 1

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 1**

_**Uncharted debris field, Balor System, Caleston Rift**_

"_Damn... this is really it."_

Will stared out into the great black abyss as he concentrated on drawing slow, efficient breaths. The stars and nebulae that surrounded him were frighteningly gorgeous, and never had he seen them so vividly. Against his own judgment, he twisted his head back around in search of the faint blue glow of the mass relay. He squinted in desperation until he finally found a dot of blue light pulsating softly between the distant spinning, concentric rings. It was getting harder to spot among the glow of thousands of stars surrounding it. As he turned his head back he felt himself rotating on an unsettling axis. The weightless was starting to get to him. He could feel panic clawing from the corners of his mind.

"_Stay calm,"_ he reminded himself while talking a deep breath. He could afford just one, he rationalized. _"If you don't keep calm, you'll start to panic. If you panic, you're gonna suck up all the air in your recycler and suffocate."_

All around him pieces of debris ranging in size from a speck of dust to a dozen meters wide drifted at about the same velocity as he did. However, a particularly bulky-looking metal beam had been slowly drifting closer over the past few minutes. Will felt a sudden urge to grab onto it just to feel his hand on something. Weightlessness was bad enough, but having nothing tactile for him to hold onto was almost worse. He reached for his belt and winced at the extreme pain in his arm and back. Will's fingers gripped his pistol, pulled it from its holster and brought it to bear in the opposite direction of the metal beam, firing a few shots. The silence was haunting. The weapon barely had any kickback to begin with, but the slightest bit it did have slowed his velocity enough for him to see a noticeable increase in the speed at which the metal beam closed in on him. He stowed the weapon carefully and waited patiently for a minute. Then two. Three and a half minutes later, he reached out and felt his glove touch the metal. He gripped it tightly and closed his eyes. A nervous frown crept of his lips as his fingers slowly tightened and loosened their grip on the beam a few times as he tried to keep the fading calm. Panic was trying to creep in again.

"_Was that supposed to help?"_ He thought as he opened his eyes and swallowed hard.

Will's eyes shifted to the corner of his HUD as it glowed gently in low power mode. His omnitool was still working and there was nothing stopping him from halting his oxygen flow. Will shook his head in small, minute motions to shake the thought, but it quickly returned. If he really wanted to, his helmet could be removed rather easily. He drew in another deep breath.

"_It was worth it, right?"_

He had to hope so.

* * *

**One month earlier**

"One more!" Eleena shouted from across the alley.

Will nodded to himself as he stared down the scope of his rifle. The unfortunate recipient of his gunfire, a turian member of the small gang whose territory they were raiding, fell to the ground of the grimy Omega alleyway. The sights of the turian's rifle had been locked onto T'lees as the asari covered their flank, and Will had no intention of losing someone on this mission. Orange light from the street at the end of the long alley drew irregular shadows from the dead gang member as he crumpled to the ground in plain sight. Their other target was playing safe and sticking to cover. SMG fire from a dozen meters down range forced Will to duck back behind a support column as his comm beeped to alert him of an incoming transmission.

"_Beta team is at their waypoint,"_ Tul'Sorrin alerted them over the comm. _"Waiting on your command."_

The silhouette of their target appeared as he leaned out from behind cover. Will tensed in surprise as Eleena flew forward in a biotic change and impacted the final remaining target square in the chest. The salarian engineer flew backward, head over heels, and landed with a satisfying thud on the dirty ground. He rolled to the side and into cover, his SMG still in hand. Will planted his feet and raised his M-15 toward the crate where the engineer hid as Eleena cautiously approached it with her own weapon ready to fire.

"What was the name again?" Eleena asked tauntingly. "'Blades?'" She snorted. "I know you guys are just starting out so I'll cut you some slack, and I'm no expert on running criminal organizations, but you should probably avoid _murdering_ every one of your robbery victims if you've only got a few dozen bodies in your ranks."

The salarian Blade member jumped up and snarled angrily as he squeezed the trigger of his SMG, unleashing a few bullets into Eleena's heavily bolstered barrier. Less than a second later his chest was torn open as T'lees hurtled a biotic blast into him, sending the salarian to the ground with a final gasp. Will glanced over to the asari as she stood with her shotgun at her side.

"You're supposed to be watching our flank," he reminded her.

The asari sighed softly. "No one ever attacks our flank. You and Eleena get all the action up at the front."

"Only because no one ever drops their gun like I ask them to," Will countered with a smirk.

Eleena checked the two fallen enemies and turned back to face Will and T'lees.

"We're clear," she called to them.

"_Beta team is still waiting on your go ahead," _Tul's voice chimed in over the comm.

"We were busy," Will answered as he led the pair of asari down the alley. "Tell them to get ready, we're about to reach our entry point."

"_Understood."_

It was almost hard to believe, but an increase in murder rates on Omega was actually noticeable on a week by week basis. Even more so when the victims followed a very strict pattern of being wealthy, a proprietor of firearms, or both. As such, the so-called "Blades" had caught the attention of the Red Moon Collective very quickly, and a few weeks of observation, recon and infiltration had revealed a great deal about the burgeoning gang. The most important discovery had been that of their weapons stockpile, located in the industrial Sora District of Omega. Will glanced up briefly, his rifle still pointed forward, to take a quick look at the red-tinted stars beyond the station's mass effect barriers. The Sora District was one of those built on the spire, far out from the base of the asteroid itself, when the mining boom had stripped it of all its precious eezo. Now these run-down factories and processing plants housed squatters and gangs like the Blades.

"This is it," Eleena reminded him as she came to a stop beside a cargo bay door.

Will's attention returned to the task at hand. "We're at our entry point," he radioed to Tul. "Overriding the door security now."

He reached out to the door's lock and activated his omnitool. Will let out a sigh of relief as the quarian's "canned hack" that had been loaded onto all of the squad's omnitools went to work.

"_Beta team is moving in now. No detection so far,"_ Tul said. _"Patching Ralliston through."_

Will watched the security panel as it blinked orange, the hack still in progress.

"_Alpha team, you copy?" _Asked a second voice.

"I hear you," Will answered.

This was only Ralliston's third mission with the RMC and first commanding his own squad. Curiously, he did not sound nervous, but rather impatient to get into the fray.

"_We're inside, up in the rafters,"_ Ralliston reported. _"I see multiple targets down below. I think they know you're coming in."_

With that, Eleena and T'lees readied their weapons in anticipation. Will stepped back from the door and raised his M-15 as well.

"Open fire as soon as the door opens," Will ordered Beta team.

"_You got it, Captain. Lining up shots."_

The orange door lock spun and pinged as the hack continued to bypass the security. Finally, it phased to green and blinked once. Will's finger wrapped around the trigger as he braced himself for breaching the door. As the two halves parted and began to slide open, gunfire erupted from within. The four green-clad Blade members inside turned in panic as Will, Eleena and T'lees as well as three guns from behind and above them opened fire. Their foes barely had time to recognize their dilemma before they were cut down in the center of the room.

"_Comm traffic,"_ Tul'Sorrin reported. _"Sounds like they're holding up in the main room to your right."_

Will nodded and stepped into the building, scanning the dark corners as he did. "Good to know."

"Comin' down," a voice called from above them.

They looked up to the ceiling and watched as three shadowy figures moved from beside an open window to a ladder on the far side of the rafters. The first to slide to the ground was a bulky turian in his recently painted silver and red armor: Ralliston Kitt. Will noticed a spot on his shoulder where small chunk of paint that had been stripped away, most likely by gunfire. The sapphire sheen of what had once been his Blue Suns coloring peeked through the hole created by the stray bullet. He retrieved his rifle from his back and turned to approach the _Hyperion_ squad with a nod of acknowledgment.

"Captain Hume," he said before glancing to Eleena and T'lees. "Ladies."

"Hmm," Eleena replied, uninterested.

T'lees smiled and bowed her head gently.

Will gave the turian a quick look-over. "Run into much resistance on the way in, Ralliston?"

He chuckled cockily. "Not as much as I'd have liked."

The human and batarian under Ralliston's command formed up at his side after reaching the bottom of the ladder. Will had only met these two a few hours before the start of the mission. They, along with Ralliston, were operating under Will's supervision as part of the training regimen that Kallux and the rest of the higher-ups in the RMC had established. With the Collective's demand for more recruits came diverse moral compasses. To them, exacting vengeance for those who have been wronged was a perfectly reasonable objective, but the _key_ factor was their paycheck. So far, Ralliston had been hard for Will to read.

"Keep your minds on the objective," Will advised as he watched their reactions. "Tul'Sorrin reported a lot of radio chatter from the next room."

Shansa and Tul were circling a few hundred meters overhead in a cargo shuttle. If the raid on this weapon dump went well, they would be landing to retrieve the haul. Until then, the quarian was running his scanners, monitoring comm traffic and helping to direct the assault.

"Is this the only entrance?" T'lees inquired as she eyed a wide door on the far side of the room.

"According to those building blueprints we pulled," Eleena confirmed.

Will turned and approached the door, surprised that the panel at its side was green to indicate a state of "unlocked." He looked over his shoulder and motioned for the others to flank him.

"If there's any cover, I'm going for it as soon as the door's open," Will informed them. "If not, we'll hang back in here and figure something out."

The others nodded as Will raised his rifle and glanced to Ralliston. He directed the turian toward the door with his eyes before focusing on his sights. Ralliston tapped the control mechanism, ordering the door to slide apart with a groan from worn gears. The squad was immediately met with the roar of gunfire from inside the body of the warehouse. In the split-second it took the door to open, Will scanned the room and identified a series of thick, load-bearing metal columns that lined the the outer edge of the walls. Recognizing this as the cover he had hoped for, he sprinted forward into the room and slammed himself into position behind the nearest column. His shields had dipped a good bit, but were holding strong. To his surprise, Ralliston had followed him directly through the door and toward a column a few meters away. He certainly didn't lack courage. Or bravado.

"Drop your weapons!" Will shouted around the corner of his cover.

"You think that's gonna work?" Ralliston asked with a laugh.

A biotic shockwave passed between the columns, causing the hostile gunfire to waver momentarily. Will leaned out and picked a target as the other two members of Ralliston's team charged in and took cover. The Collective squad opened fire together as Eleena and T'lees took aim and tossed biotic attacks from the doorway.

"It never does," Will yelled over the exchange of bullets. "But it doesn't hurt to ask."

With the upper hand clearly in their favor, Will was able to see that there were only five members of the Blades to oppose them. Two had already fallen and another was caught in a biotic singularity dropped by T'lees. The target at the center, a turian, blasted shots at the RMC squad until his shotgun overheated, leaving him with nothing but his pistol. He drew his sidearm as the others around him fell, firing off shots randomly and sporadically until his own shields became exhausted and he dropped to the floor. The batarian on Ralliston's team jumped forward, his rifle still locked on the spot where the large turian foe had fallen.

"Hold your fire!" Will ordered just as the batarian had acquired his shot.

The batarian looked over his shoulder with a disapproving grunt, but obeyed. Will lowered his weapon and stepped out from cover, his eyes locked on the bloodied turian. He coughed and looked up as Will approached.

"Who... who the fuck are you?" He coughed.

Will looked around the room to the crates of weapons. This was definitely the right place.

"Look around and see how much hardware we're dealing with," Will ordered to the others.

"Answer me!" The turian sputtered from the ground.

"I was about to," Will replied as he turned his attention back to the wounded Blade. "Have a little patience, man." He let his arm fall to his side with his rifle pointed to the floor. "We're part of the Red Moon Collective, and we're not a fan of what you and your buddies have been doing. Specifically that business with the murdering."

The turian laughed insultingly. "You... you guys are a bunch of..."

"A bunch of what?" Will narrowed his eyes. "Actually, don't answer that. It doesn't matter who or what we are; what does matter is what we do. And putting an end to cold-blooded murderers like you?" He smirked lightly. "Well, I don't like the killing, but I did give you a chance to surrender."

One last cough of blood seeped from the turian's mouth before he fell back to the ground, motionless.

"Quite a haul!" A scratchy human voice rang out from behind them.

The entire squad spun on their heels to see a pair of humans in armor painted proudly with the colors and insignias of the Blue Suns. One wore a helmet and held a rifle across his chest while the other, a grizzled looking man with pale skin and jet-black hair, stood staring Will down with a confident grin. Will looked around the room to see the others were standing at alert with their weapons ready to draw. He looked back to the strangers and eyed them up and down.

"I'd say so," Will answered safely.

Ralliston slowly stepped up to Will's side and whispered quietly. "Janson. Number three with the Blue Suns on Omega."

Will clenched his jaw.

Janson stepped forward and took a quick look around the room. "Thanks for taking care of the hard part."

"'Thanks?'" Will repeated.

"That's right," he answered very matter-of-factly. "The Blue Suns will be taking this stockpile. But come on, it's only fair that I give you a nice pat on the back."

"You're not taking a fucking thing," Eleena said flatly.

The entire RMC squad but Will raised their weapons in protest. Janson took no notice and walked forward until he was within an arm's length of Will.

"That asari's got a mouth on her," Janson mused.

Will slid his rifle onto his back as a sign of good faith and crossed his arms. "She does," he acknowledged. "And she's right."

Janson narrowed his eyes challengingly and glanced to Ralliston's RMC emblazoned armor. "Yeah, I've heard about this little initiative. The Red Moon Collective, right?" He looked back to Will and shrugged. "Catchy name, I guess, but it doesn't really get your message across."

"Yeah, because 'Blue Suns' is a clear mission statement," Eleena retorted.

"And our 'message' is that gangs like the Blades and the Blue Suns need to be kept in check," T'lees asserted from across the room.

"Oh, I'm aware of your objective," Janson said with a small laugh.

Will raised a brow. "So I guess it doesn't matter that our name doesn't get the message across. Word gets out regardless."

The human nodded. "Which is why I'm here: to show you that we've taken notice and to tell you where you can expect to fit in." Janson stared Will down. "You and your squad can leave now. This is Blue Suns property. If you refuse... well, your little gang of do-gooders has, what, a couple hundred in your ranks? If that?" He took a step forward and stared down at Will intimidatingly. "The Blue Suns could wipe you out in a week."

Will stared back to show he wasn't afraid, but wasn't about to challenge that point. He knew how to pick his battles, even though he often wish he didn't.

"Well?" Janson asked expectantly.

"Let's go," Will said after a long pause.

"Are you serious?" Ralliston snarled. "It's two on six!"

"I'd doubt it would stay that way for long," Will argued. "And even if it did, the repercussions echo a lot farther than this room."

Janson smiled authoritatively and stepped back. "You're a smart man, mister..."

"_Captain, _Hume," Will corrected. "And you're lucky that's the case."

Will ignored the laughing response his taunt received and stepped past Janson toward the door. The others, slightly bewildered, had no choice but to follow. He led them out into the alleyway and toward the street, raising his omnitool to activate his outbound comms.

"Shansa, we need exfil," he stated bitterly.

"_On my way!"_ She answered. _"How did the-"_

"We'll talk about it later," Will interrupted.

Eleena stepped up to Will's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Will, what the hell was that?"

"That was me not putting a target on the head of everyone in the RMC," he said quietly.

The asari let her hand fall back to her side as she walked with him. She did not object. Will closed his eyes as they stepped out into the street and came to a stop, waiting for Shansa and Tul to arrive. Only on Omega could a night go from so good to so damn shitty in five minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 2**

_**Red Moon Collective Headquarters, Tilno District, Omega**_

Will had wondered how the evening could possibly get worse during the shuttle ride back from their mission. He got his answer when he remembered that he was late for the RMC Advisory Circle meeting. Shansa had quickly delivered him to the Collective's headquarters, a small amalgamation of converted garages, stores and apartments in the relatively safe Tilno District of Omega. Ralliston and his team had reported to the barracks for debriefing while Eleena, T'lees, Tul'Sorrin and Shansa returned to the _Hyperion._ Now, Will sat across the meeting table from Kallux as the other two Advisory Circle members flickered in the center from a holoprojector.

"_With defeat: Captain Hume's most recent engagement with the Blue Suns, while unfortunate, seems to follow the pattern of other recent incidents."_ The elcor, Orrat, currently had the floor. _"Admittedly: That being said, our standing order to prevent hostilities with the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack is all that has kept us from being wiped out during this period of growth."_

Will sat back and crossed his arms. "Yeah, but do the benefits outweigh the costs? Actively abandoning our ideology to avoid conflict?"

"_The benefit is that we do not find ourselves targeted by one of the larger gangs while we are still vulnerably undermanned,"_ the final Circle member responded.

The image of Malylen, the salarian, looked to Will and narrowed her eyes.

"_But you already know this," _she added. _"The evidence lies in the fact that you cooperated with the Blue Suns tonight."_

"I'd rather not dwell on that," Will muttered. "We could have used those munitions."

"_No one is arguing against that," _Malylen agreed. _"But what we could not use is a war with the Blue Suns!"_

"He's aware," Kallux interjected. "And the two of you are just running circles."

The krogan had been listening, silently, from the other side of the table for a few minutes now. He leaned forward and stared to the hologram of the other Circle members.

"Captain Hume is doing his duty to remind us that there's more than just our continued existence to worry about. We've also got our ideologies." Kallux looked across the table to Will and nodded.

Will gave him a small, appreciative smile.

"_Apologetically: Of course. Hopefully, should our numbers continue to increase, we will not need to compromise for much longer," _Orrat said.

"_You are correct, we must keep our long-term goals in mind,"_ Malylen stated firmly. _"But we can't risk destroying ourselves before we even reach our potential."_

Silence fell over the four as no one brought up a counterpoint. Kallux cleared his throat and laced his fingers.

"If there's nothing else..."

Will shook his head, as did the others.

"Thank you for your time," Kallux finished.

The image of the salarian and elcor flickered and disappeared in a flash as the lights of the small room rose. Kallux took a deep breath and stood from his chair to begin slowly pacing back and forth on his side of the table.

"You doin' alright?" Will asked as he propped his feet up on the table.

The krogan grunted. "Only frustrations."

"It's just one depot," Will assured him. "There couldn't have been _that _much in there."

"It's not just this nonsense with the Blue Suns." Kallux came to a stop and placed his hands on the table. "I had to give approval earlier to authorize standard 'security' contracts."

Will furrowed his brow. "You mean, just... merc jobs?"

"Essentially," the krogan murmured irritably. "With our temporary policy of not raiding Eclipse, Blue Suns or Blood Pack, the big three, we're getting a lot less of our standard requests."

Will had known this would be the other problem to come with playing nice with the big gangs. He was fairly certain that the only reason the RMC hadn't been targeted by the Eclipse, Blue Suns or Blood Pack yet was because of the service they had inadvertently provided by eliminating many of the newer, smaller gangs. Unfortunately, that meant it was only a matter of time before the Collective became the only new, smaller 'gang' left.

"Yeah, the big threats have been trickling in a lot slower lately," Will said quietly. "Plus, the rest of the crew and I have been getting a little stir-crazy. Hell, I had to bug you for a month straight to get on that raid tonight."

Kallux sighed and looked up to Will. "I apologize for that. But you know that I don't want to risk having you all on the front lines. You and the crew are an important asset."

Unlike the handful of other ships under their command, the _Hyperion _had not registered as property of the Red Moon Collective, or even acknowledged its affiliation on record. As such, the crew did not wear the RMC colors. This allowed Will and the rest of the _Hyperion_ crew to act as Kallux's "first contact" group when scoping out potential allies or enemies. If things went sour, the RMC name would not be involved. Unfortunately, this also left them with mostly uneventful and diplomatic assignments.

"I know I can trust you all, and that's why I'm glad to have you where you are." Kallux smirked and let out a deep sigh. "That said being said... I understand. I missing being in the middle of a firefight with the you and the others at my side."

Will grinned and leaned back in his chair. "I seem to remember you _in front_ of the squad most of the time, not at our side."

The krogan chuckled lightly. "Hume, if you and the crew would really rather be a front-line unit, I can make that happen."

"Heh," Will looked down as the grin slowly sank from his lips. "It's alright. We've got plenty of recruits to take those spots."

Kallux nodded appreciatively. "Once we're at a decent strength you can fight whoever and wherever you'd like. I'd say you all have earned that much."

"I'll hold you to that," the human responded as he looked back up to Kallux.

The krogan lifted his holopad and looked at the info panel displayed upon it. "Tell you what, I might have something interesting for you."

He set the tablet down and slid it across the table. Will scooped it up in his hand and looked down at the mission summary.

"Reports of kidnapping from a salarian research station," Kallux explained as Will looked it over. "I know you were probably hoping for a raid on the Eclipse HQ, but hopefully it'll scratch that itch."

Will smiled and glanced up. "Thanks, Kallux."

The krogan nodded. "Anytime, my friend. Now, if you don't mind, I've got some deployment proposals to look over..."

Will pulled his feet from the table and stood with a laugh. "'Deployment proposals?' Goddamn, Kallux, you sure you don't wanna come along for this one? It'll only be a day or two."

Kallux waved his hand dismissively. "Get outta here before I take you up on that."

* * *

"Hm, so where is this place?" Shansa tilted her head curiously and leaned back in her chair.

Will brought up his omnitool to look at the mission dossier once again. "Uhh... Garvug, it would seem."

Eleena's face contorted slightly. "Garvug?"

Tul'Sorrin looked over to the asari. "You've heard of it?"

"I guess you could say that. All I know is that there's nothing there," Eleena answered with a smirk. "Used to be a krogan colony. Until they stripped it of every last drop of useful resources and moved on."

The four of them sat around the table in the crew's quarters as T'lees stood over the kitchenette humming softly to herself. Will looked over to her as a particularly potent scent from the meal she was preparing wafted across the room.

"I hope you all have a taste for traditional asari cuisine," T'lees mentioned as she turned to face them.

She walked gracefully across the room with a tray in her hands, setting it gently at the center of the table. On the tray were four bowls of a steaming stew comprised of a creamy, off-white broth and chunks of Thessian shellfish and various vegetables. Tul'Sorrin eyed the dish for a moment before returning to his nutrient bar contently.

"It smells great," Shansa said with wide eyes.

Eleena leaned forward and nodded. "Yeah, no kidding."

T'lees smiled in response to the praise and sat herself in the fifth seat. She motioned toward the food and glanced around the table.

"Please, after you all."

Will, Eleena and Shansa happily obliged and reached for their bowls, digging in. After their first spoonfuls, T'lees reached for her own dish.

"Damn, I'm not normally a fan of seafood," Will prefaced as he reached for his glass of water. "But this is fantastic. Where'd you learn to cook?"

"One of my mother's handmaidens," T'lees answered as she took another look around the table. "I fall in and out of the habit. If you all would like, I can collect provisions and ingredients for some more dishes when we have additional free time."

"I wouldn't object," Eleena answered.

The group ate in silence for a few minutes as Tul nibbled on his dextro-friendly foodstuffs and read through the mission dossier Will had collected from Kallux.

"So, what exactly is the objective on Garvug?" The quarian inquired.

Will swallowed a mouthful of stew. "Gather intel. Once we get to the research station we should probably get in touch with whoever's got time to answer our questions."

"Mm, it says here that the report of abductions was submitted by someone named Pravlin, the head of security," Tul informed them as he continued to read.

Eleena glanced over to Will. "Any chance we'll see some action down there?"

He gave her a bittersweet smile in response. "Couldn't say. Maybe we'll get lucky and drop in during an attempted abduction."

"It has been a while since we have encountered serious resistance on a mission," T'lees added. "Which is not a bad thing, of course, but I feel as though we are not putting some of our skills to use."

Will smirked and took a gulp of his drink. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're welcome to mutiny at any time."

* * *

"Asleep already?"

Eleena's voice roused Will from the light doze he had been slowly drifting toward. His eyelids lifted to see the asari looking down at him with a small grin. Will shifted himself and let out a small yawn as he lay on his back, his head in her lap. She sat at the end of the couch in the loft as he lay from one end to the other, his feet dangling off the far edge. Eleena held a datapad in one hand, having paused her reading momentarily.

"Not asleep," Will answered. "Close to it, but not there."

She smirked. "Mind sitting up?" She ruffled his hair to direct his attention. "You're starting to itch."

He laughed and pulled the back of his head up from laying across her naked thighs. She watched him with warm eyes as he reached down and pulled on the pants he had tossed to the floor before they had bonded. Eleena crossed her legs and set her holopad down on the pile of cloth that was her crumpled jumpsuit as Will sat up and draped an arm across the back of the couch. She, much like many other asari as Eleena had explained to Will, were not sticklers about nudity around bondmates or even friends and relatives. He reached up and ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair.

"Sorry about that."

Eleena smiled. "I don't mind. It's fun to play with sometimes."

The asari reached over and repeated the motion by running her fingers through his hair.

"Jealous?" He winked jokingly.

"Uggh, no," she chuckled dismissively. "I said it was fun to play with sometimes, not that I wanted it all over my body. I don't even know how you deal with it."

"Uh huh, sure." Will leaned back and shut his eyes. "How much longer do you think we've got?"

Eleena reached down to retrieve her white undershirt and slid it over her head. She tugged it down to its full length, covering her body from the shoulders down to her mid-thigh.

"Eight hours at the least." She turned to face him and placed her elbow on the couch to support her chin. "You think we'll find anything out of the ordinary?"

He opened his eyes and looked over to her. "On Garvug? Hell if I know. I looked into it after dinner and it looks like there's always a constant threat of tribal krogan and vorcha. It's probably nothing more than that."

"Hm." She let out a small sigh. "Shame. I had fun last night... even if we lost."

"We didn't lose," Will quickly corrected her. "We just... didn't win."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Eleena smirked. "And how could I possibly counter such a compelling argument?"

"I know, I know... it didn't feel like we accomplished anything." Will averted his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know, El. Sometimes I feel like we're headed down the wrong path."

The asari gave him an intrigued look. "Oh?"

"Kallux has the best intentions at heart, and so does the rest of the Collective, but I don't know if they're the _right _intentions." He looked back to her and let out a defeated sigh. "We can't even touch the big three anymore because the RMC name has their attention."

"You mean the rest of them can't. But we can. No one's gonna tie the Collective to anything the _Hyperion_ carries out," Eleena reminded him.

"For now," Will admitted. "But before long someone will make the connection and we'll be in the same boat as all the others."

The asari reached over and set a comforting hand on his shoulder. Will looked down to hand and smiled softly to himself.

"No matter what goes on with Kallux and the rest of the RMC, you're still doing a good job, Will." She smiled encouragingly and pulled her hand back.

Will met her gaze and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I couldn't do it without you. Or Shansa, or Tul... even Fayneer."

"I wouldn't _want_ to do this without the lot of them," Eleena countered with a grin.

He tilted his head slightly as he sat back and let his eyes wander over her face. The flush in her purple skin created a glowing illusion in the pair light-gray patterns under her eyes.

"So where are we headed?" He finally asked.

Eleena gave him a confused look. "Uhh... Garvug?"

Will smirked. "Not _literally._ I mean, you and me. Where are _we_ headed?"

"Oh." Her face returned to normal and she gave a small shrug. "Should we be headed somewhere? We've only been 'together' for what, six months?"

"Well, yeah, I know. But that's a decent amount of time for a human," Will argued.

She nodded admittedly. "I guess that's true enough." Eleena looked to him and smiled apologetically. "I don't really think about it too much. I mean, goddess, I've still got a few decades of maiden years ahead of me."

"You don't think about _our_ future?" Will raised a brow.

Eleena placed her hand on his. "Of course I do. It's just not at the forefront of every thought I have about you. And trust me, I have a lot of them." She looked him in the eyes and rubbed his hand with her thumb. "I think about you and me together _now,_ not in a few years or decades."

Will shook his head a bit. "That's funny... it's pretty much the opposite for me."

"Relax Will." She pulled her hand back and propped her chin up once again. "I'm not saying I don't want a future with you, or that I never think about it. I'm just not worried about the logistics of it right now."

"Fair enough," he said with a small sigh. "But you are... comfortable with me, right? Someone who will probably die six or seven hundred years before you?"

Eleena nodded as though the question was absurd. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be? Asari have been dealing with that since the first salarian fathers died of old age before their daughters could walk or talk."

"It doesn't bother you?" Will watched her curiously.

"Like I said, it's something asari just deal with." She smiled lightly. "Will, it doesn't matter if our last day together is tomorrow or a hundred years from now. I'll always have parts of you with me." Eleena reached up and ran her fingers through his hair again. "Even if they're only memories."


	3. Chapter 3

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 3**

_**Turrasil Wasteland, Garvug**_

The Kodiak shuddered and shook as harsh, icy gusts buffeted the hull of the dropship. Will looked down at the atmospheric readings panel and shivered in his hardsuit at the temperature of negative thirty-two degrees Celsius. Through the viewport of the shuttle he could see the icy, dead landscape that stretched on in every direction, accented only by jagged rocks and deep gorges. Through the side cockpit windows he could see mountain ranges in the distance to the north and south; but their destination lay straight ahead at the Mosrin Research Station.

"Definitely not the prettiest planet in the system," Shansa jested.

Will placed his hand on the bulkhead leading into the cockpit. "It's the _only_ planet in the Paz System," he reminded her.

Shansa smirked to herself. "The assertion still stands."

Tul'Sorrin looked to his side. "It hasn't changed since the last time I was here."

"You've been to Garvug?" Will raised a brow curiously.

The quarian nodded. "The name sounded familiar, so I did some digging in some of my... personal records. The Flotilla passed through this system a few decades ago. I was still a child, but I remember it quite vividly." He chuckled lightly. "I had never been off ofmy birth-ship. I had to beg my father for days on end to bring me along on his provisions pickup flight."

"Your father was a pilot?" Shansa asked curiously.

Tul shook his head. "Heh, no. Just the load-master for the _Daunting Light_'s cargo shuttle."

"The _Daunting Light_ doesn't sound like a quarian name," Shansa said, urging an explanation.

"It's an asari ship," Tul'Sorrin informed her. "Well, it was. My people acquired it a few hundred years ago when it was being retired from the Asari Expedition Fleet."

Will looked ahead through the viewport. "I don't think you've ever told us that much about your family and Fleet life before. Well, except for that little bit after we first met."

The quarian looked back to his instruments without responding.

"We're about a minute out," Shansa said a minute later, finally breaking the silence.

"Great. Have we been cleared by the station to land?" Will inquired.

"Yes. I've already submitted our identification credentials," Tul'Sorrin answered. "We've been directed to land at shuttle pad two."

He tapped a few commands into his holoscreen that sent the data to Shansa's flight computer. Her eyes darted over to the new waypoint and grabbed all the information she needed.

"Bringing us in," she announced.

Will turned back to the passenger compartment of the shuttle where both Eleena and T'lees sat in silence on opposite troop benches inspecting their weapons. Eleena raised her SMG and looked down the sights for a moment before nodding in satisfaction and sliding it into the holster on the small of her back.

"You guys know we're probably not going to need those," Will said apprehensively.

"It does not hurt to be prepared for even the most improbable of circumstances," T'lees countered as she stowed her shotgun.

Eleena pulled herself to her feet and grinned. "We'll play it cool, don't worry yourself."

Will gave them both a jokingly-suspicious look and turned to face the hatch. He couldn't exactly hold it against them as he was bringing his rifle along as well. He did, however, leave his helmet in its place in the small wall locker. He reached up and braced himself on the handlebar that ran across the ceiling of the passenger bay as the shuttle's momentum slowed rapidly. Will glanced back into the cockpit to see the Kodiak a few dozen meters from a docking bay clearly designed for vessels no larger than a small transport shuttle. After setting down in their designated landing zone, Shansa and Tul'Sorrin did a quick post-flight check as the thrusters shut down. A minute later they both stood and turned to fall into position behind Will as the pair of asari did the same.

"Dressed for the occasion?" Will quipped as he looked over Shansa's armor.

The pilot had recently requisitioned a relatively high quality hardsuit after deciding that she was sick of sitting on the shuttle for every away mission just for the sake of safety. Will had told her that there was not chance that he would allow her into a combat situation, but Shansa did not objected. If the squad was headed into a fight, Shansa had said, she wanted to be sure there would be a shuttle ready and waiting to pull them out. As such, she carried only her sidearm, and had not fired it outside of the firing range in months.

"You think it looks alright?" Shansa asked as she looked down at the grayish-blue armor.

"It looks lovely," T'lees assured her. "But looks do not always mean quality. At least not when it comes to body armor."

"Hopefully price does," Shansa countered.

Will smirked to himself and reached for the door controls. The hatch hissed and opened to reveal a small docking bay barely large enough to fit two shuttles the size of the Kodiak. The cold air stung at his face as he stepped forward and dropped to the floor of the room. Gusts of freezing wind blew through the long, open wall of the hangar that they had entered through, carrying small tufts of ice and snow with them. For a moment he considered grabbing his helmet.

"Captain Hume?" A voice called from his left.

As the rest of the squad exited the Kodiak they turned to see a salarian in standard researcher attire with his hands fidgeting passively. Will looked the salarian up and down and stepped forward.

"That's me."

The salarian nodded. "You have arrived ahead of schedule." He shook his head and stepped to meet the group. "My name is Naltin. I am one of the administrators for this facility. Your credentials, please."

Will raised his omnitool and transferred their security documents. Naltin looked down to the datapad in his hand and began scrolling through them in silence. After a full minute of investigation, the salarian glanced back up and nodded.

"Thank you. Now, if you and your cohorts would follow me..."

They watched as Naltin briskly turned on his heel and walked to the security door on the far wall of the room. He tapped a code into the door lock and turned back to others.

"This way," he informed them.

Will let out a sigh after deciding not to object and set course to follow the salarian with the rest of the squad in tow. They passed through the door and into an enclosed walkway lined with windows on either side allowing sight into the rocky and unkempt grounds. Will could see at least a half dozen buildings of various sizes scattered around nearby, all connected by the enclosed paths. He turned back ahead to see the salarian was almost starting to outpace them and hurried to enter earshot.

"Hey, hold on a second," Will called as he approached Naltin. "You mind explaining where we-"

"I am taking you to Pravlin, our head of security," the salarian answered before Will had finished asking. "Now, if you don't mind, I have two project proposals to review within the next hour and talking to you is not expediting the process."

"Oh, right, my mistake," Will said as he rolled his eyes.

They came to a stop as they reached the next security door, which quickly pinged and slid apart at the behest of Naltin's command. Inside the room was a set of desks on the far wall and doors to the left and right, most likely leading to other parts of the facility. Various security instruments lined the walls and shelves, including a body-scanner that they were forced to pass through while entering the building. Behind one of the desks sat a tan-skinned salarian in armor that appeared fairly bulky for one of his species. He looked up as Naltin and _Hyperion_ squad entered and immediately turned his attention from the holoscreen he had been working at. Naltin walked to the center of the room and turned to motion toward Will and the others with a nod.

"Your clients," Naltin announced to Pravlin. "Call me if you require anything further."

With that, the administrator turned and darted through one of the exits nearly fast enough to raise Will's suspicion. The tan salarian pulled himself to his feet and rounded his desk, eying the squad curiously as he did so.

"Welcome to Mosrin Research Station."

Pravlin's voice was by far the most scratchy and rough of any salarian Will had met. His face was clearly defined by two thick, parallel scars that ran from his right cheek to just under his chin as well as dozens of other smaller and less bold scars, all long healed-over but still noticeable.

Will stepped up and extended a hand. "Pravlin, right?"

The salarian nodded curtly and took his hand, shaking once. "That's correct. I'm the head of security here. And you're Captain Hume?"

"Yep. This is my crew." He turned looked over his shoulder and nodded to the others. "We're here about these abductions you reported."

"Good." Pravlin crossed his arms. "As your organization requested, I have transferred the initial payment."

Will looked to Tul'Sorrin and nodded. The quarian raised his omnitool to check their account records as Will turned back to Pravlin.

"I've read through all the information you provided us," Will began. "Unfortunately, that isn't much."

The salarian turned and began to slowly pace back and forth before them. "I wanted to ensure your organization was reputable. Judging by the lack of a hostile takeover, I'd say that worry has been put to bed." He came to a stop and looked back to the squad. "That said, I hope you all are ready to put those guns to use."

"Ready and willing," Eleena answered. "If it comes to that."

"I have a feeling it might," the salarian said grimly.

Will raised a curious brow. "What do you know?"

Pravlin walked to a monitor on the wall and waved them over. The squad circled up around the salarian as a set of graphics and maps appeared on the holoscreen. One of the maps appeared to be a layout of the facility itself. Will quickly counted thirteen buildings in total, most of them much larger than the security building and hangar.

"This is all of the data I have collected," Pravlin explained. "As you can see, we have lost eleven members of our staff to abductions in the past two months." He tapped a button on the screen, causing eight red dots to appear on the map of the compound. "These are the approximate locations of each abduction."

The markers were widely scattered, but all appeared to be around or just outside the station's boundaries.

"It looks as though most of the abductions have occurred outside the facility's structures," T'lees observed. "How is this possible given the enclosed walkways between each of the buildings?"

"Not all are connected," Tul'Sorrin quickly noted as he pointed to he map. "At least, not according to this."

"That's correct," Pravlin affirmed. "All of the abductions have occurred as staff members moved between structures that did not have environmental passages. We also had a few abductions of maintenance workers who were working outside these zones." He pointed to a few dots near the northern end of the compound. "Three in one night, all in under ten minutes. They were working on our power generator at the time."

Shansa looked up and down a list of abduction victims and their employment portraits. "Isn't this a salarian station?" She inquired curiously.

"Primarily," Pravlin answered as he looked to her.

Shansa turned to face him. "Only three of the victims were salarian," she pointed out.

The security agent gave her an approving smirk. "Yes, good eye." He glanced to the others. "Strangely, while over eighty percent of our staff consists of salarians, the abduction victims have been a fairly even spread of species. Three salarian, three humans, two asari, one turian, one volus and one batarian."

"That can't be entirely by chance," Will asserted.

Pravlin let out a concerned sigh. "I agree. At first, I thought the local krogan and vorcha gangs were responsible, but it didn't seem right. They were too precise, too safe, and we're far outside their normal roaming areas. The specific targeting of non-salarian staff seemed far too strange to be a coincidence." He cleared this throat lightly. "A few weeks ago I finally caught a break."

The squad watched curiously as Pravlin reached back to the screen and activated a vid player in the bottom-right corner. A security vid appeared and began a playback showing a single human kneeling beside a piece of machinery. It was dark, the only light being some sort of service lamp that lay in the snow a few feet away that pointed toward the man and his work. A small "fast forward" indicator appeared in the corner of the vid as Pravlin tapped the playback's controls. Once the progress bar had reached a certain point he resumed the playback at normal speed.

"What are we looking for?" Eleena asked after a long bout of silence.

Pravlin said nothing as the answer appeared a few seconds later. Two figures in black armor stepped out of the darkness and kicked the man to the ground. The victim rolled over and looked up to the assailants, who motioned for him to get to his feet. The man reluctantly stood and was checked by the stock of one attacker's rifle as he stumbled out of frame.

"No insignias or gang colors," Will noted immediately.

"Most likely human... _possibly_ batarian," Tul'Sorrin added.

"So, this finally ruled out the krogan and vorcha theory?" T'lees asked Pravlin.

"It gave me more than that," the salarian answered. "I was monitoring the security feeds at the time and was able to get a scanner up and running long enough to find the signature of some kind of transport shuttle that had landed a few hundred meters out; far enough to avoid the station's perimeter alert defenses." He reached over and pointed toward one of the other maps on the holopanel. "I tracked it into the mountains north of the station, but lost the signature as it entered this range."

"Damn." Eleena narrowed her eyes. "Was it gaining elevation?"

"No, actually, it was hugging the surface." Pravlin looked back to them. "In fact, if the heat signatures from its engines are any indication, I doubt if it even had the thrust capacity to leave the atmosphere."

"Interesting," Will muttered as he eyed the map. "There's a valley just beyond that range. Is it possible that you didn't lose the shuttle, it just landed out there?"

"I had considered this," the salarian answered. "But unfortunately... I don't have the manpower to find out."

Shansa looked around the room. "Where _is _the rest of your manpower?"

"Abducted," Pravlin answered grimly. "My team consisted of a human and an asari. Both gone two months ago."

"Three people for the entire security team?" Eleena gave him a bewildered look.

"As I mentioned, we're far outside the normal 'hunting grounds' of the planetary gangs so we've never had to deal with them," Pravlin explained. "Most of our... _my_ duties consist of settling the occasional dispute between staff members."

Will let out an exasperated laugh. "Well, I can see why you needed to outsource your guns." He looked back to the others. "Tul, are the scanners calibrated for the planetary magnetism, curvature... all that stuff?"

The quarian continued to scan the holopanel as he nodded. "I need to make a few adjustments, but we could be ready in an hour or so."

"Good." Will looked back to Pravlin and gave him a confident smile. "We'll head into the mountains to see what we can find and report back."

"I'll upload all of our topographical data to your shuttle." He crossed his arms and gave them a small nod. "Good luck."

* * *

As it turns out, Tul'Sorrin had been conservative with his estimate. The quarian had calibrated the scanning equipment in just over fifteen minutes, allowing the crew to head into the mountains less than an hour after meeting with Pravlin. Will, T'lees and Eleena sat in the rear compartment of the Kodiak, each looking over information on their datapads that the salarian security agent had provided them. Will had watched the security vid at least ten times in a row. He paused the playback as the two assailants were the most visible and looked them up and down, intently, in search of anything he had not seen before.

"They were heavily armed," he noted for the second or third time. "But I've never seen a rifle like that."

T'lees leaned over to look for herself as Will zoomed in on the paused image. "Would you theorize that they only sent two men out of necessity, or caution?"

"They've got heavy armor and some pretty nasty-looking firepower. If I were to guess, I'd say probably have the funds to hire plenty of bodies," Will reasoned.

"So, caution," Eleena finished as she looked up from her holopad.

He nodded in affirmation, still staring down at the vid.

"I've got something," Tul'Sorrin called from the cockpit.

Will set the holopad on the bench and stepped into the doorway. The quarian looked over his shoulder as his hands rested on the holopanel in front of him.

"Energy readings consistent with those of a large power generator are emitting from the other side of this peak," Tul explained. "It's the same valley that Pravlin tracked that shuttle into."

"Alright, let's set down for some observation." Will looked over to the pilot. "Shansa?"

She pressed a finger to her lips as she examined the map Pravlin had sent them. "I can put us down on this slope, here." She pointed to a point on the holoscreen. "It should provide a good view of the valley, and this dip in the terrain can keep the shuttle out of visual range."

"Sounds good. Bring us in," Will ordered.

Shansa turned to the flight controls and brought the Kodiak of its holding pattern. The shuttle nosed forward as she brought it down into the jagged mountain range and toward the valley. A waypoint appeared on the navigation panel as Tul'Sorrin finished narrowing down the location of the energy signature.

"Do we still have that spotting scope on board?" Tul'Sorrin inquired.

Will nodded. "We should." He looked back into the cabin and motioned to the back wall of the shuttle. "I think Kallux kept it in the footlocker."

The shuttle leveled off over the rocky slope and slowed to a hover above a small plateau. An enormous boulder was positioned to their right that would, hopefully, block any sight of them from the valley floor. Tul'Sorrin pulled himself from his seat and darted past Will to the equipment footlocker at the back of the cabin. The hum and vibration of the Kodiak's thrusters began to fade as the belly of the craft gently set down onto the rocky ground.

"Shutting down all non-critical systems," Shansa said to herself.

Will stepped back and opened the side hatch, wincing as the cold mountain air stung at his face once again. He reached for his helmet and slid it into position as Eleena and T'lees did the same. Will took a careful step down from the cabin to the uneven ground and looked back to the others. The asari were standing at the ready as Tul'Sorrin looked down at the spotting scope and fiddled with the settings.

"Shansa, watch the scanners," he ordered. "Everyone else follow me, let's see if we can spot anything."

Tul'Sorrin, Eleena and T'lees followed him onto the mountainside as he started off toward the boulder at the edge of the cliff. T'lees shut the door behind them and hurried to catch up. As they rounded the corner of the rock, a desolate valley around five kilometers in diameter came into view. Like the barren wastelands that surrounded the mountains, the valley consisted of almost nothing but jagged rocks and muddy ice; except, of course, for the noticeable outline of a square structure at the base of the valley.

"Well, would you look at that," Will commented with a grin.

"Almost too easy," Eleena said quietly.

T'lees narrowed her eyes slightly. "I nearly said the same thing."

Tul had already found a boulder that rose to the height of his waist to set up the scope and was stablizing the tripod. Once it was in place he looked through the holographic viewfinder and began to adjust the focus and zoom onto the structure.

"Crystal clear," the quarian announced.

Will glanced over before stepping up to see for himself. The crisp, clear image showed a building no more than a few dozen meters in width and length and one story tall. A set of cargo doors on one side faced what looked like a pair of small landing pads, one of which had a seemingly unoccupied transport skycar parked at the center.

"Pretty nondescript," Will informed the others. "Looks like there might be a few security cameras, but there's nothing else in terms of obvious point-defense."

"They most likely did not plan on being found," Tul rationalized.

Eleena stepped up beside them. "Any insignias or logos?"

"None that I can see," Will answered with a sigh. "I think we should head down for a closer look."

Tul glanced over to him. "Are you sure? We have an excellent vantage point from here. We could easily monitor them for a few days and see if they hold any routines."

"One of those routines may be occurring right now," T'lees commented as she pointed toward the sky.

The others followed her indication to see a large shuttle descending rapidly with its thrusters burning brightly. They watched as it came to land on the unoccupied pad just outside the cargo doors. Will watched the viewfinder of the spotting scope intently as the shuttle's thrusters shut down and the scene became motionless once again. A few seconds later, the doors to the facility slid apart and four soldiers in the same armor they had seen on the security vid stepped out and lined up beside the door.

"Tul, are you getting any comm traffic?" Will asked.

The quarian shook his head as he tapped away at his crimson omnitool. "I bit, but the signal is weak. I can't get a clear feed."

"Sounds like we need to get closer," Eleena said with a smirk.

"Yes, yes, alright," Tul conceded. "But we should move quietly and try to stay out of sight."

"Obviously," Eleena jabbed with a grin.

Will looked back to the screen and narrowed his eyes. "Damn it!"

Tul'Sorrin gave him a curious look. "What?"

"See for yourself," he muttered.

The quarian looked down at the spotting scope's viewfinder to see a pair of men had exited the shuttle and had been approached by one of the facility's soldiers. The two soldiers from the shuttle, one human and one turian, wore the unmistakable blue and white of of the Blue Suns, complete with the logo emblazoned on their chests.

"Blue Suns," Tul said defeatedly.

A silence fell over them as they looked down into the valley.

"That is it, then?" T'lees said with a frown. "If we are not to engage with the Blue Suns..."

Will shook his head. "No, that's the RMC." He looked around the group. "There's a reason we're not in the records. Kallux must have known this was a Blue Suns operation so he sent the only team who could deal with them and not endanger the Collective."

"I'm not gonna question that logic," Eleena quipped as she drew her SMG.

Will activated his comm. "Shansa, keep the shuttle ready for extraction. We're going in."


	4. Chapter 4

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 4**

_**Turrasil Mountains, Garvug**_

Will's heart pounded against his chest and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he led the others down the mountainside. The daunting, jagged rocks that cluttered the descent provided decent cover, but he was still worried that any short-range scanners would pick them up with ease. It had been only ten minutes since they spotted the transport shuttle land and now, according to the waypoint Tul had set, they were no more than a hundred meters from the facility. Will raised his hand to slow the following squad as they neared the corner of a large boulder. He came to a stop and leaned out just far enough to see that the situation had devolved since they had left their observation point.

"Tul, any luck with that signal?" Will asked.

"I'm getting something. Working on cracking the encryption," the quarian answered as he tapped away at his omnitool.

Will narrowed his eyes as he evaluated the scene. A new figure had appeared at some point: a woman in a white researcher's jumpsuit. She was talking to one of the Blue Suns who had arrived with the shuttle, and neither seemed pleased. Will tapped his foot anxiously, silently wishing Tul would hurry up his work.

"Got it," Tul'Sorrin announced. "Browsing their channels to see if I can find anything interesting."

Eleena stepped up behind Will and pressed herself gently to his back with her hand firmly on the rock, allowing her to lean out to get a look as well.

"Looks like they're having a bit of a disagreement," the asari noted.

The female researcher, who appeared to have raised her voice, pointed an accusatory finger at the pair of Blue Suns from the shuttle. The four soldiers behind her continued to stand with their rifles across their chests, unmoved by the apparent disagreement.

"Here we go," Tul said. "Patching in the feed."

"_-the hell is going on up there?"_ Asked an authoritative voice.

Will narrowed his eyes as one of the four soldiers raised his hand to his helmet just before a response came through the comm.

"_Sounds like a misunderstanding, Lieutenant. Doctor Stafford's trying to explain and get the batch sent to the correct place."_

"_A misunderstanding?" _The first voice sounded irritated. _"What the hell is the problem? We told them where they should be making the delivery. What are we supposed to do with a bunch of subjects and no transport for them?"_

Before the soldier could respond, the two Blue Suns turned and stomped angrily back up the ramp and into their shuttle, leaving the lab-coated woman to turn on her heel and march back through the doors of the building.

"_I think she's coming back in, sir. I think they sorted it out."_

The comm channel closed with a small crackle as the transport shuttle's thrusters roared to life and kicked the craft up off of the landing pad and back into the atmosphere.

"A batch..." T'lees said quietly.

"A batch of 'subjects,'" Tul'Sorrin continued. "I doubt whoever was in that 'batch' came along willingly."

Will watched as the four soldiers turned from their positions and filed back into the building. He looked back to the others as they eyed him expectantly, waiting for orders.

"Alright, we need to get in there," Will decided.

T'lees furrowed the brow not concealed by her eyepatch. "We do? The Blue Suns have left and they did not leave anyone or anything behind."

"Which means the only people left are these unknowns, and we no longer have to worry about pissing off the Blue Suns," Will continued. "If there are more prisoners in there, we have an obligation to save them. That's the entire reason we're here on Garvug."

"So how are we getting in?" Eleena asked before anyone else could argue otherwise.

"I believe I have an idea," Tul'Sorrin answered.

After explaining the plan and receiving approval from the rest of the squad, Tul'Sorrin led the others down the remainder of the slope to where the ground began to level off. They found the a long, wide rock around thirty meters from the entrance of the building and ducked behind it for cover as Tul opened his omnitool and began his work. His orange drone materialized in front of them, bobbing up and down slowly and harmlessly.

"Here we go," Tul commented.

The drone jumped to life and hovered around the corner of the rock before setting course for the center of the landing pad. Will watched the vid feed from Tul's omnitool as the quarian guided his drone nearly to the door of the facility before coming to a stop. Then, like clockwork, a voice emitted from the hacked comms.

"_Yeah, Ramirez and I are headed up to take a look,"_ said the voice of the soldier they heard from the landing pad earlier.

Thirty seconds later the doors slid apart and two soldiers carefully stepped out with their rifles pointed toward the drone.

"_No hostility," _the soldier reported. _"Recon drone, maybe?"_

"_Think they left this thing to try and spy on us?" _Asked the second soldier, presumably Ramirez.

"Did they really buy that?" Eleena asked with a perplexed expression.

Will held up his finger to quiet her as he continued to listen.

The first soldier scoffed. _"Hell if I know, let's take it out and-"_

Before he could answer, Tul ordered the drone back toward their cover at full speed.

"_Movement!"_ Ramirez shouted. _"It's running!"_

Will glanced to his left and right and nodded to the squad as they readied their weapons. They could hear the sound of boots stomping through the rocks and icy mud as the soldiers approached the other side of the rock. The drone zipped around the corner of the rock and disappeared before Tul'Sorrin.

"Now," Will said calmly.

He, Eleena and T'lees rose up from behind their cover and drew their aim on the pair of targets, who were now only a few meters away. They came to a halt and took aim in return.

"Drop the guns," Will ordered immediately.

"_We've got contacts!" _One of the soldiers shouted through the comm, his face hidden by the tint of his helmet. _"Send backup!"_

"_Understood!"_ The voice of the lieutenant they had heard earlier answered.

Will nearly pulled the trigger before the same soldier opened his mic to local broadcast.

"Alright, alright, take it easy," he said as his rifle lowered just slightly.

Will's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Only a handful of people had ever actually complied with his tired order to drop their weapons.

"_We'll keep them here," _the soldier said once again only on the comm. _"As soon as you're out the door, we'll open up."_

"Hm," Will smirked lightly. "You know, that bluff probably would've worked better if we hadn't hacked your comm channels."

"Shit!" Ramirez said in a panicked shout.

Before Will could attempt to convince the pair to call off their incoming backup, both opened fire on the _Hyperion _squad in unison. Will, Eleena and T'lees responded without hesitation, the latter two dropping a biotic shockwave and singularity, respectively. Tul'Sorrin grabbed his pistol from its holster and leaned out from the side of the rock to join in the engagement, blasting off shots with Will into their heavily armored and armed foes. Under the combined control of the biotics, the pair were dropped in under fifteen seconds. As soon as they were down, Will jumped over the rock and sprinted toward the building, trying his best to not stumble and trip on the rocky, uneven ground as others followed directly behind him. Tul'Sorrin raised his omnitool as they reached the building and sent a quick hack into the security camera pointed toward the door.

"Inside! Let's go!" Will ordered.

They came to a stop as they reached the door. It was unlocked. Will reached forward and slammed his fist into the control panel, causing it to blink green and the door to slide apart. The squad rushed forward into what appeared to be a small lobby with virtually no décor. Straight ahead was a set of doors, one with an elevator logo beside it and the other with the words "Administration and Security" on a sign above it. They had barely entered the room when the elevator doors parted and a black-clad group of soldiers appeared with their guns drawn. Unfortunately for them, the minimal cover inside the room was all near the entrance wall. The _Hyperion_ squad dove behind the desks and raised their weapons in defense, only to have their foes open fire before they had even stepped out of the elevator.

"Perfect!" T'lees shouted as she dropped a singularity.

The biotic rift caught three of the four soldiers as they scrambled through the elevator doors, leaving them easy prey for the _Hyperion_ squad's rifle, SMG, pistol and shotgun fire. One of them had fallen before the singularity faded. The others righted themselves, dropped to their knees and continued to fire across the room. Will was forced to slide back behind the desk as the enemy rifle fire tore through his shielding, only to find that the bullets were puncturing his cover. He grunted slightly as he realized he would get to reprieve and jumped back up to continue returning fire.

"Right side!" Tul'Sorrin shouted.

All four of them turned to see the soldier on their far right priming a grenade. Their combined fire switched targets almost instantly and cut him down before he could finish his throw, leaving the grenade to topple to the center of the room. The _Hyperion_ squad stumbled slightly from the shock of the explosion, but their foes received a far worse treatment. Will quickly recomposed himself and brought his gun to bear only to see that the remaining soldier now laying on his side, bleeding from a shrapnel wound to the neck.

"Check him," Will ordered as they stepped around the desk and hurried across the room.

T'lees knelt at the soldier's side and ripped off his helmet. He was a human, clean cut and no more than twenty-five years old. He stared up at them with frightened eyes, his hand wavering near the sidearm on his hip but not actively seeking it. The asari prepped a dose of medi-gel and looked to Will for approval as the black armored man gasped and choked for breath.

"Do it," Will answered as he knelt beside them.

She applied the medi-gel and activated the basic medical scanner on her omnitool, frowning at the quick report.

"The medi-gel cannot seal the puncture in his airway," T'lees informed them.

Will looked down at the man as he coughed up blood. "What is this place?" He demanded. "Are you the ones abducting people?"

He gave a regretful nod and spat up what looked like a small chunk of flesh. "I..."

"You what?" Will stared down at him intently.

The soldier shook lightly just before his features began to fall limp.

"Elevator is locked down," Tul reported.

Will let out a sigh and turned away from their dead foe. "What?" He looked to Tul'Sorrin.

The quarian was tapping away at the security panel as Eleena stood with her SMG pointed toward the other door nearby marked as "Administration and Security." T'lees stood and hurried to Eleena's side, holding her shotgun on the door as well.

"Can you get through?" Will asked as he approached the elevator door.

"Locally? I don't think so," the quarian lamented. "We should see if there is a network terminal nearby."

Will nodded and raised his rifle into position as they surrounded the door that led to the security room. Eleena stepped forward and tapped the controls, opening the door with a soft ping. The squad stood with their eyes locked down their scopes as it opened to reveal a short hallway with a door half-way down on either side. To the left was a sign reading "Administration," and to the right, "Security." Will stepped forward cautiously with his sights locked on the door to the security room. He strafed sideways as the others followed him in and reached for the door control panel. He found it unlocked and tapped it gently. The door slid apart to reveal a small, empty room with a few desks and terminals and at least a half-dozen computer monitors at each. Tul darted ahead of the others and slid into the chair in front of one of the security consoles.

"Alright, I should be able to wreak some havoc in their security systems," Tul'Sorrin informed them as he settled into the seat.

Will nodded and looked to the asari. "Let's check the other room."

The trio stepped back into the hallway to the mirrored door on the other side. Eleena and T'lees held their weapons at the ready as Will opened the door, only to reveal another small room that was devoid of personnel, just as the first one.

"Alright, security overrides are in place," Tul called from the other room. "I've also got a layout of the facility. There's just one level below this one."

Will took a calming breath and stepped into the administration room, slowly walking around the pair of desks inside. The lack of opposition was beginning to worry him. He stepped up to a shelf on the wall and narrowed his eyes as he stared at a digital picture frame at the center. The image of a smiling woman and young child flickered gently, the pair staring back at him in silence.

"Hey, Will." He turned to see Eleena standing at the door. "We going down or what?"

She, T'lees and Tul'Sorrin were clearly ready to return to the elevator and descend. Will cleared his throat lightly and nodded.

"Uhh, sorry. Yeah, let's go."

They quickly retraced their steps to the entrance hall and stood in front of the elevator as Tul'Sorrin used his overrides to call the car. As Will stepped into the elevator he saw dozens of bullet holes on the back wall, and a few spatters of blood. Tul looked at the control console and let out a small chuckle.

"And we've only got one option," the quarian mused as he tapped the button to descend.

The doors shut with a hiss before the elevator dropped toward the lower levels.

"Weapons ready," Will reminded them. "We might be walking into a trap."

Tul'Sorrin and T'lees stepped to either side of the door at the reminder as Will and Eleena stood at the center of the elevator car, their weapons drawn on the door. A gentle ping rang out as the door slid apart to nothing more than a long, dimly lit hall with intersections on either side.

"Who the hell does the interior decorating for these places?" Eleena muttered as she looked over to Will.

"Beats me," he answered. "But at least all of these creepy, uncharted facilities stay consistent."

Tul'Sorrin looked down to his omnitool. "Holding cells are on the second left," he noted.

The squad set forth into the hallway slowly and deliberately, checking each intersecting door as they did. Tul'Sorrin nodded toward their left turn and Will stepped forward to lead them around the corner. They entered another short hall, this one with what looked like a set of airlock doors at the end. Both doors of the checkpoint were open, however, causing Will to narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Where is the rest of the staff?" T'lees asked quietly.

"I was wondering the same thing," Eleena mentioned.

Through the airlock Will could see that there were three doors on either side of the hall, all of them close together and seemingly heavy on security. All were closed but the final door on the right. Will froze in place and whipped his rifle up as he caught sight of an object peeking through the door frame.

"I... I think it's a boot," he muttered.

Will's heart slammed against his chest as he took another step forward. Then another. He slowly found himself turning and strafing to face the open door directly as he approached. He swallowed hard as he finally came into full view of prison cell, his eyes widening slightly. Two humans lay dead on the floor: one male and one female. Will immediately recognized the woman as the doctor they had seen outside talking to the pair of Blue Suns. Her head was twisted unnaturally from what could only be a broken neck. The body of a man lay face-down beside her with a pool of blood forming from bullet wounds in his neck and chest. The only weapon in the room, a pistol, sat in the corner of the room a few feet away from the bodies as if it had been tossed to the side. The most alarming sight in the room, however, was on the back wall of the cell.

A small bunk extended from the wall, upon which a dark-skinned batarian sat with his hands placed idly on his thighs and his chin resting on his chest. On one of his wrists a set of handcuffs hung with one loop having been opened and removed from the other. His eyes were clearly closed as his lips moved subtly and silently. He wore what must have been the standard garb for the prisoners in the facility: a nondescript, gray jumpsuit with black boots. Will held his sights on the batarian and took another step forward, placing one foot inside the cell. The silent words from the batarian's lips finally came to a cadence as he took a deep breath and looked up. He stared Will down in silence for a few seconds before speaking.

"I don't remember you," he said with a hint of surprise.

Will's fingers tightened the grip on his rifle. "I should hope not."

"Who are you?" The batarian inquired, his voice bordering on exhaustion.

"Are you a prisoner?" Will asked, ignoring the question for now.

The batarian nodded once. "I am."

"Then we're here to get you out," he answered. "What happened here?"

Will and the batarian both looked down to the two bodies on the floor between them.

"They were forced to deviate from their standard procedure," the batarian explained. "Normally, I am escorted by the doctor and two of the operatives. But there was an emergency."

Will snorted slightly. "Yeah... I think that emergency might have been _us._"

The batarian eyed Will curiously. "I was rushed back to my cell by only the doctor and the lab handler." He looked to both of the bodies. "I took his gun when they unlocked my shackles. I killed him. Then I killed the doctor."

"You overpowered both of them?" Will asked with slight disbelief.

The batarian nodded. "I was at my full strength. They did not have time to begin their trials today. Otherwise I would have been far too weak." His lips spread into a small smile. "I saw the opportunity and the Pillars of Strength gave me the resolve I needed."

Will looked down to the bodies once again. "You killed the handler first? Why did you kill the doctor as well?"

The batarian looked down and shook his head. "I felt the wickedness in her _raksha_ the first time I was brought into her laboratory. The Pillars of Wrath told me that I would be the one to end her life."

Eleena glanced over to Will and then back to the batarian. "Big fan of the Ring of Pillars, huh?"

"My faith is absolute," he answered. "As that of all clerics should be."

Will lowered his weapon and stepped forward. "Cleric?"

The batarian pulled himself to his feet. "Yes. My name is Welkinn Ranzeet'shanis, Cleric of the Ring."

Will was intrigued and narrowed his eyes. "Captain William Hume," he said as he extended a hand.

The batarian took the hand and bowed his head, his four eyes closing as he did. "I'm grateful to meet you, William Hume. It sounds as though you and your companions were part of Wrath's design to end Doctor Stafford's life. Had you not been drawn to cause this 'emergency,' their standard procedure would have likely continued."

"Uhh, yeah, sure. You can call me Will, by the way." He looked over to the asari beside him. "This is Eleena, and behind me are Fayneer T'lees and Tul'Sorrin."

"My greetings to you all," the batarian said. "And you may call me Welk, as it is my common name."

Will glanced back down the hall. "Are there any other prisoners in here?"

"No," Welk answered flatly. "They are dead."

"Are you sure?" Eleena asked him suspiciously.

"You can check for yourself," Welk suggested.

Will looked to T'lees and Tul. "Would you?"

They nodded and turned to look into each of the other five cells. Will faced Welkinn once again and cleared his throat.

"Not gonna ask why we're here?" He asked the batarian.

"No. It is apparent," Welk answered.

Eleena crossed her arms. "Why don't you remind us?"

The batarian leaned down and grabbed the handler's wrist. "Wrath sent you to free me so that I may seek vengeance upon those who oversee this place. Why else would you have come for me?"

Before the asari could make a snide remark, Will raised his hand to silence her. Welk, still looking down to the bodies, activated the handler's omnitool and used it to unlock the handcuffs that still clung to one of his wrists.

"That's... right," Will said diplomatically, ready to set the topic aside for now. "You mentioned a lab earlier... could you take us there? Show us everything you know about it?"

Welk reached to the faces of each body and shut their eyes with his fingers before standing and looking to Will with a nod. "Yes."

"All the cells are empty," Tul'Sorrin called from down the hallway.

Eleena cleared her throat. "Hey, Welk, where the hell _is_ everyone? These cells are empty and we've only seen a half-dozen people since we got here."

The batarian's expression shifted to that of confusion. "I do not know."

Will let out a sigh and motioned toward the pistol on the ground. "It's obvious you know how to use that thing. If you'd feel more comfortable with it..."

Welk reached down the retrieve the weapon. "My thanks. The Pillars of Wrath have chosen well with you."

Eleena gave Will another look and he responded with a shrug.

"Alright, just stay behind me," Will said. "You won't last long in a firefight without a hardsuit."

"As long as the Pillars dictate my actions-"

Will raised a hand to interrupt him. "Yeah, I know. The Pillars already gave me the heads-up."

He rolled his eyes slightly as he turned back to lead them down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 5**

_**Undocumented facility, Turrasil Mountains, Garvug**_

For all the wariness Will felt toward Welkinn, he could give him one thing: the batarian knew where he was going. The facility was not large or confusingly laid-out, but Will appreciated the fact that Welk was able to direct the to the laboratory without a second guess. The batarian did not, however, offer any explanations as to why everyone else in the facility seemed to have vanished into thin air. Will continued to worry over this particular subject as they were led down a long, dark hall.

"So, what happened to you here?" Eleena asked to break the silence.

Welk looked to his side where the asari walked. "Torture."

"Yeah, I fucking figured that out," Eleena responded with a smrik. "What kind? _Why?_"

"Many kinds, but I don't remember most of it. I lost consciousness from pain or sedatives quite often. And as for why?" The batarian shook his head. "I could not say. I was never questioned, and my abduction did not seem targeted toward me in particular." Welkinn paused for a moment. "At least, it did not appear that way at the time... perhaps it was part of the path."

Will looked over to him. "Yeah, speaking of that abduction... you weren't taken from the Mosrin Research Station by any chance, were you?"

"No, but the name is familiar," the cleric answered. "Perhaps I heard it from some of the other prisoners?"

The group came to a stop at a security door.

"This is the laboratory," Welk stated confidently.

Will motioned Tul toward the door and the quarian quickly set to work on the security.

"My overrides on the local network should still be active," Tul'Sorrin said as he activated his omnitool. "Mhmm."

With his affirmation the door pinged and slid apart to reveal a large room divided down the center by an enormous glass wall. On the nearside was an assortment of desks and computers all set up facing toward the window to the other side. Beyond the glass was a series of mechanical devices, some of which appeared to have restraints used to hold subjects down onto slabs of metal. Four robotic armatures also hung from the ceiling, each one with a different looking 'hand' at the end. At the far end of the glass wall was a security door that allowed access between either side of the room. Will looked to the left and right walls of the lab-half of the room to see a door on either side, both glowing orange to indicate they were locked.

"Hey, Welk," Will looked over his shoulder as the group walked into the room behind him. "Any idea what's inside those rooms?"

"No. I have never been inside them," the batarian answered.

"Hmm." Will looked around the room. "Eleena, T'lees. Check these desks and see if there's anything notable. Tul, let's get these doors open."

The quarian nodded and followed Will to the door on the left side of the room as Welk stuck close behind them. Tul'Sorrin reached forward and unlocked the door as quickly as he had the one to the laboratory. The door slid open to reveal a small, personal office just like all the rooms before it: devoid of contacts. There was, however, a desk at the center of the room with what looked like a personal workstation that Tul immediately took notice of. As the quarian rounded the desk and sat down to see what he could pull up, Will slid his rifle onto his back and stepped forward to look at the picture frame laying upward on the surface of the desk. In the picture was a man and a woman, both clean-cut and profession looking in their attire. The woman was clearly the same that Welkinn had killed: Doctor Stafford. The man, however, was unfamiliar.

"Interesting," Tul'Sorrin commented excitedly. "There's a journal entry here that was recorded about thirty minutes ago. It hasn't even been saved yet."

Will leaned forward on the desk. "Let's hear it."

Welkinn stood perfectly straight at the side of the desk with his arms hanging by his sides as he stared at the computer, waiting. Tul tapped a few keys to begin the playback.

"_Journal: Doctor Stafford, Farra. 18th November, 2178." _The voice appeared to be stressed. She let out a long sigh and paused. _"We're getting close to completing our preparations for relocation. We should be ready when the transport arrives, but I doubt anyone will be getting any sleep tonight. There's still a lot of work to do. Lieutenant Burke and his men have been a great help with packing our equipment. Raphael probably didn't need to leave six men behind just to watch over me and Faisal, but with the batarian still an unresolved issue it's nice to have the extra security."_

"Faisal, Raphael, Burke?" Will asked as he glanced to Welkinn.

The batarian looked to the side. "Faisal. The lab handler. The others I do not know."

"One might assume that 'Lieutenant' Burke is the same lieutenant that was mentioned on the comm earlier," Tul'Sorrin reasoned. "He must have been a member of the welcome party that we dispatched of in the lobby."

Will nodded for Tul'Sorrin to resume the playback.

"_And on the subject of the batarian..."_ Doctor Stafford sighed before a short pause. _"Here. Subject 16. I believe his usefulness as a test subject has just about come to an end and we will not be transferring him with us. He is in the chamber at the moment as Faisal prepares the equipment for the final test. I would hate to have an incomplete trial in my records. Afterward, we will commence with the standard disposal procedures and finish breaking down the last of the lab equipment that will be coming with us to the station. It shouldn't be a particularly long session, given the nature-"_

The voice stopped as a much quieter, male voice echoed in the background of the recording. _"Doctor! It's urgent. Looks like that delivery you requested to be rerouted just showed up."_

"_Showed up here?" _Doctor Stafford clarified.

"_Yes, ma'am. I-"_

She let out an irritated sigh. _"Alright, I'll take care of it," _the doctor grumbled.

"The recording was paused here," Tul informed them as the playback ended. "I imagine that she intended to finish the entry once she had dealt with those Blue Suns, but our arrival prevented that from happening."

"Sounds like our friend here wasn't long for this world," Will mentioned as he looked over to Welkinn.

The batarian nodded solemnly. "Yes. They told me that this would be the day that I must choose between fighting for my life or dying."

Tul'Sorrin typed away at the terminal as he began searching for useful data. "It _sounded _like their plan was to... 'dispose' of you. Did the doctor tell you otherwise?"

"The doctor told me nothing," Welk answered, almost confused as the question. "It was the Pillars of Wrath who spoke to me."

Will bit his tongue and turned back to face the lab, letting the statement rest. T'lees and Eleena were still sorting through the desks and workstations, but by the looks of things they had not found much.

"Any luck?" He asked.

"Nothing," Eleena answered as she straightened herself up with a sigh. "From the sound of things, I'm guessing the useful shit was packed up already."

Will nodded and stepped back into the room. "Probably. Let's check the other room," he said as he motioned toward the far wall.

Eleena and T'lees, clearly bored by their current task, leapt at the opportunity and fell in beside Will as they walked toward the door. Welkinn followed behind them as Tul'Sorrin remained in the doctor's office, attempting to crack the local encryption on the computer's databanks. Will came to a stop at the door and looked over his shoulder to where the quarian sat in the far room.

"Hey, Tul, can I get a hand with the door?"

The quarian raised his omnitool and entered a few commands. "I uploaded the access commands to the shared mission archive."

Eleena, one step ahead of Will, activated her own omnitool and grabbed the override commands as he was turning back to the door. The asari tapped the security console and, as if it had been unlocked already, the door's glow changed to green as it slid open.

"Nice," she commented approvingly.

Will realized as the door opened that he should have been more cautious. He nearly grabbed his rifle from his back as he recognized the danger of crowding around the doorway to an unexplored room, but stopped himself as he saw it was nearly empty. The room was surprisingly barren and illuminated by a soft blue light that shone from the edges of the floor. The walls were lined with what looked like large drawers, perhaps a dozen of them in total, each of which looked nearly large enough to fit a body. Will swallowed hard as the thought of a morgue entered his mind. At the center of the room was what looked like an operating table, lined with immaculate silver metal on all sides. He stepped forward far enough to see that of the drawers lining the walls, only one was open. Will bit his lip nervously as he walked further into the room, hoping he would see nothing graphic.

"Oh thank god," he said with a relieved sigh.

The others stepped in to see that inside the drawer, surrounded by foam that appeared to hold it in place, was a menacing-looking rifle. Will tilted his head to the side slightly as he came to a stop beside the drawer.

"I've never seen a gun like this thing," Will mentioned. "Looks brutal, though."

"I believe I am familiar with this weapon, actually," T'lees declared as she touched a finger to her lower lip in contemplation. "When I moved my manufactory business to the Terminus, I appointed a research and intelligence team to investigate local weaponry that could be produced on our lines. Well, not the same weapons of course, but our own _very similar_ models."

"Hmm." Eleena stared down at the stocky, scoped rifle. "So what is it?"

"If memory serves, it is a Kishock Harpoon Rifle. Popular with many of the more brutal gangs and often used by those wishing to plant fear in the minds of those around the immediate victims." T'lees looked the weapon over, confident in her accuracy.

"So did you produce any?" Will asked curiously.

"Oh, goddess no," the asari answered with a small laugh. "The market was far too niche. This one, though, looks to have been used extensively, given the numerous marks of wear and tear."

Eleena knelt down to get a closer look. "How hard is it to handle?" She looked up to T'lees.

"Very," Welkinn answered from the doorway. "But after wielding it for long enough, you become used to it. You learn to control it and where its weaknesses and strengths lie. Then it becomes deadly."

They turned to see the batarian slowly walk around the table at the center of the room.

"How would you know?" Eleena asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Because this is my rifle," he answered matter-of-factly.

The batarian knelt down beside her and reached for the gun. His lips lifted into a serene smile as his hands wrapped around the weapon, lifting it to inspect the trigger mechanism and scope. The others stood completely still while Will's hand hovered near his pistol's holster just in case.

"It's yours?" Will finally asked.

"That's right," Welkinn answered as he rose to his feet.

Eleena stood as well, watching the batarian nervously. "Then what's it doing here?"

"I could not tell you," Welk replied. "I'd assumed that they had disposed of it when I was captured."

He hugged the rifle to his chest as his finger wrapped around the trigger, his eyelids sliding shut. Welkinn drew in and exhaled a deep, calming breath as the smile held strong on his lips. Will glanced to Eleena and T'lees, who gave him equally quizzical looks in return.

"You okay, Welk?" Will asked as he looked back to the batarian.

"Not entirely, no," he answered, his eyes opening once again. "But I do feel complete."

"Yeah... well, maybe I should hold onto the gun until we get back to the ship," Will suggested diplomatically.

"A kind offer," the batarian began. "But I will have to decline, as it will not be necessary. My gun and I are ready to assist you." He looked around the group with determined eyes. "We were led to one another for a reason: to punish those who performed these atrocities."

Will hesitated. "I... are you suggesting that-"

"We are destined to find them and kill them," Welkinn stated firmly.

"Destiny doesn't mean a damn thing to me," Eleena interjected before Will could quell her apparent incredulity. "And all these baseless assertions are starting to piss me off. So, tell me why we should even think about allowing you onto our ship."

Welkinn responded with surprising poise. "Why are you here?" He looked to the three of them.

"To rescue the prisoners that-" Will stopped himself. "Well, to rescue you, I guess."

"Yes, that is your goal. You've already told me this. But what is your motivation?" The batarian asked.

"We were hired to investigate abductions happening nearby," Will said with a sigh. "That led us here. And to you. If the journal Doctor Stafford was dictating is accurate, it sounds like this place was gonna be empty in a few hours anyway. So, no more abductions. The job will be done."

Welk nodded. "Credits, then?" He did not sound judgmental in the assumption. "But you heard the recording; they are currently in the process of relocation. Those that we killed today were not the only ones responsible for this program, I assure you. What happened here will happen again. Does that not bother you?"

Will shook his head. "I... no, of course it does. But there are certain obligations that..." The words stopped for a moment. "Yes. I want to stop them. And it's been too long since we've had the chance to do this kind of good."

"You want to see them punished. I want to see them punished." Welk looked to Eleena. "Do you need another reason to consider my aid?"

"Yeah, I do," Eleena answered, taking a step toward him and nodding to the rifle in his hands. "Even if we do take up this mission you want to complete so badly, we're not babysitters. Can you use that thing?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Welkinn turned and brought the rifle to bear, aiming through the door. Before Will could stop him, Welk fired off a harpoon that sailed through the laboratory to the far wall and impaled a cylindrical metal tin on a shelf. Tul'Sorrin, who could be seen though the door nearby the shelf, jumped slightly in his seat and looked up from his work at the computer.

"What the hell was that?" He called across the room.

Will, T'lees and Eleena turned from looking to the point of impact to face Welkinn.

"I suppose we are to believe that was your intended shot?" T'lees inquired suspiciously.

"There was nothing else on the shelf," Welk answered. "If you would like to name the next target, I would gladly oblige."

"Enough," Will declared with a raised voice. "We'll talk about this later." He looked through the doorway to the office on the far side of the room. "Tul, how's it going in there?"

"I've pulled just about everything I could," the quarian answered. "But damn near everything is encrypted. I imagine they did not want anything to be accessed while they were transferring this data to... well, wherever they were planning on going."

Will motioned for the others to follow him as he walked back into the laboratory. "How long will it take to break?"

"Hours? Days? At this point it's hard to tell. I've copied all the local data, so it would be better to just work on it back on the ship," Tul reasoned, still splitting his attention between them and the computer. "However, I did find some interesting information in a few non-encrypted files, and I think I may have deduced what was going on here."

The rest of the squad came to a stop and looked to the quarian, staring in anticipation. Will nodded for him to continue.

"And?"

"I believe it's a live-fire weapons research facility," Tul'Sorrin answered grimly. "A place to test prototypes and compile research on live subjects."

"That is barbaric," T'lees shuttered.

"No regard for life," Welkinn stated solemnly.

Eleena looked over to the batarian and snorted. "Disapproval of slavery coming from a batarian? Never thought I'd see the day."

"This is _not_ slavery," Welk retorted. "Slavery is a tradition among my people and the act is _respected._ Anyone familiar with traditional batarian society would agree that those who serve you are to be treated as living beings, however low their standing in the caste may be."

"Oh, so you like slavery. But only the _good_ kind, right?" Eleena mocked.

Before Will could split up the argument, Tul'Sorrin was able to do so himself.

"Uhh, we've got a problem!" He called from the office.

Will looked to the quarian and stepped toward the door. "Which is?" He asked impatiently.

"A message was delivered to the doctor's inbox a few minutes ago," Tul explained. "'We are arriving ahead of schedule. Exited FTL. ETA fifteen minutes,'" he recited.

"When was the message sent?" Will asked nervously.

The quarian looked up. "About ten minutes ago."

"Shit," Will muttered to himself. He looked back to the others. "We're moving. Now."

Tul jumped up from the computer and hurried into the laboratory as Will beckoned the others to follow. They had barely taken their first step toward the door when Will opened the comm channel to the Kodiak.

"Shansa, you there?"

"_Always!"_ She responded.

Will led the group down the hall they had entered through, trying to remember where the elevator was.

"Get down here _now._ We've got hostiles incoming and we need an extraction," he ordered.

"_Kicking off now."_

The squad quickened their pace as they rounded the corner that Will hoped would lead them to the elevator. He sighed silently in relief to see it at the end of the next hall. They piled into the car and Will slammed his fist onto the control panel, ordering the elevator to bring them up to the ground level and the exit. The squad lifted their weapons as the car came to a stop, holding their aim on the door just in case they had missed anyone. Welkinn joined them, looking down the scope of his rifle with an elated and almost disturbing grin. The doors opened to reveal the same lobby they had entered from, the bodies of their four defeated foes still laying motionless in pools of their own blood. Will tried his best not to look at them as he stepped forward and guided the group to the entranceway.

"Shansa?" Will asked as he reached for the control panel.

"_Touching down now,"_ she answered.

Will opened the door and waved the others through to the landing pad where the Kodiak was waiting as he turned back to take one last look at the gloomy lobby. He was thankful that his suit's air scrubbers were working at optimal capacity. He hated the smell of death.

* * *

"Make yourself comfortable," Will said, his voice exhausted. "The far bottom right bunk is empty, if you need to sleep."

They had only given Welkinn a quick tour of the ship, as Will had still not decided whether or not they would be dumping the batarian the second they docked on Omega. For now, however, he hoped to confine him to the bunkroom during the flight back to the station. When they had arrived back on the _Hyperion_, Will had nervously suggested that he leave the vicious harpoon rifle in the armory for the time being which, surprisingly, the batarian had agreed to without hesitation or suspicion. Will was starting to think that his desire to help them was genuine.

"Thank you, Captain. I believe rest would do my body and mind good," Welkinn stated as he inspected the empty bunk. "I will try to sleep after my prayers. Today gave me much to thank the Pillars for."

Will, who stood at the door with his arms crossed, nodded and continued to watch the batarian with a suspicious eye.

"Good. I'll make sure no one disturbs you," he told the cleric.

Welkinn looked over to Will once more. "Again, you have my thanks."

Will exhaled deeply as he turned and stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind him. Tul'Sorrin was already hard at work decrypting the data they had uncovered from Doctor Stafford's computer, and Shansa had set the autopilot toward the mass relay hours ago. As he walked into the cargo bay he saw T'lees and Shansa standing beside the Kodiak looking down to Eleena as she knelt nearby to work on one of the aft thrusters. Will could hear them speaking and approached quietly.

"Are you _sure_ he's crazy?" Shansa asked.

"Absolutely," Eleena responded as she inspected a fuel coupling.

T'lees shook her head. "You are being too judgmental, Eleena. Why do you believe he is insane?"

Eleena slid the fuel coupling back into place and turned to face the others. "The guy thinks that the Ring of Pillars _talks_ to him. Plus, he was tortured for months and that doesn't usually help mental stability. Will, back me up here."

T'lees and Shansa glanced over their shoulders to see Will as he came to a stop behind them. He glanced to the side and shrugged.

"I... don't know. Not yet." He looked back to them shook his head. "Maybe he was just delirious? A night of sleep outside of captivity may help him settle down."

"You said he's a cleric, right?" Shansa asked as she looked around. "If he thought he was gonna die it makes sense that his religion became the thing to help him hold onto whatever sanity he had left."

"Maybe," Eleena said with a shrug. "But we don't even know the extent of the 'torture' he received. Not yet, at least. What if Tul decrypts those files and we find out he was just the control subject? It'd explain why he was still alive and it would mean he's _always_ been insane."

"That would rule out physical damage, yeah, but not psychological," Will reminded her. "And if he's insane, why does it matter when or how that became the case?"

Eleena turned around and pulled the thruster housing cover back into position before locking it in place and standing with the rest of the group.

"It doesn't," she answered.

"But you believe someone to be insane just because they believe in a goddess or some higher power?" T'lees inquired.

Eleena looked to the other asari and cocked a brow. "Just for believing? No, of course not. But our friend Welkinn doesn't just _believe_ in a higher power. He thinks they talk to him."

"Okay, okay," Will held up a hand. "This argument isn't going anywhere. We'll keep any eye on him until we reach Omega, then we'll talk about what we're gonna do, alright?"

Eleena shrugged and grabbed her satchel of tools from the floor. "No arguments here."

Shansa smiled. "Same."

T'lees nodded in agreement.

"Alright, good." Will gave a stretch of his shoulders. "And let's hope Tul cracks that encryption sooner rather than later."


	6. Chapter 6

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 6**

_**Docking bay E-19, Omega**_

"It's been at least three years since I last visited Omega," Welkinn said as he looked out the docking bay's viewport. "I had hoped I would never have to again."

Will stood at the center of the room with his arms crossed, watching as the rest of the crew filed out of the ship.

"Not a fan of this floating pile of garbage and criminal machinations?" He asked with a smirk.

Shansa stepped through the airlock and laughed. "Who is?"

"I don't know, I kinda like it here," Eleena admitted.

Will gave her a doubtful look. "Is it Omega you like, or all the rare specimens in the dock? Like the ol' _Hyperion_ here."

The asari shrugged. "Hard to say."

"Well, I _do_ like Omega," T'lees asserted with a raised chin as she came to a stop beside the others. "It never lacks excitement or opportunity."

"Neither does the Citadel," Tul'Sorrin countered.

"If you can stomach the bureaucracy and back-stabbing politicians," T'lees said with a shrug.

Eleena smirked and crossed her arms. "You've got a point. At least on Omega the violence and corruption is right out in the open where you can see it."

Shansa looked over to Will and tilted her head. "So what's the plan?"

Will looked around the group. Eleena, Tul'Sorrin, Shansa and T'lees all stood patiently looking back as Welkinn continued to stare blankly out the nearby window. He watched the batarian for a brief moment before glancing back to the crew with a small smile.

"Sorry, uh," he shook his head. "I guess we'll head to HQ and find Kallux. I sent him a message saying we were on our way."

"Debriefing? Sounds good," Eleena agreed.

"Yeah..." Will looked back to Welk. "Shansa, T'lees... why don't you two show Welk around the market while we head to the RMC?"

Shansa and T'lees looked to one another then followed Will's gaze to the batarian. Upon hearing his name, the cleric had nonchalantly turned from the viewport, curious as to what he had been volunteered for.

"Uh, yeah, we can do that," Shansa said nervously. "And, ya know, since we're on Omega I should probably put on my hardsuit."

T'lees turned back to Will with a knowing expression. "Sounds wonderful. I would like to get to know our new friend."

Will nodded slowly to T'lees to affirm the intention before motioning for Eleena and Tul to follow after him.

"We'll see if we can make it quick and catch up with you guys," Will said as he walked toward the door. "And stay in the Tilno District. I'd rather not worry _too_ much about the gangs."

Shansa skipped back toward the airlock to retrieve her armor. "We'll be fine! Don't worry about it!"

"I've heard that before," Will muttered as he, Eleena and Tul'Sorrin passed through the door and into the ever-busy streets of the Tilno District.

"Are the findings from our trip ready to present?" Tul inquired as they turned to make their way to the RMC headquarters.

Will looked back to him and smirked. "I don't know, are they?"

The quarian let out a sigh and opened his omnitool to begin compiling any useful information. Eleena raised a brow.

"Did you get anything out of that encrypted data from the doctor's computer?" She asked.

Tul snorted and shook his head. "I'll tell you when I finish cracking the encryption. I've honestly never seen security so thorough."

"Excellent," Will said with only a hint of sarcasm. "Then let's hope Kallux isn't expecting a formal presentation."

The walk to the headquarters only took about fifteen minutes, during which Tul'Sorrin muttered to himself as he cut together as much useful information about their findings as he could. Will and Eleena, who had donned their combat armor just before the _Hyperion_ docked, scanned their surroundings passively as they walked through the district. To call the area safe was true in the context of Omega and the rest of the Terminus Systems, but that didn't mean one's guard could be lowered. As they reached the block of their destination, Will and Eleena happened to glanced toward one another. He felt a small smile lift the corners of his lips and gave her a playful wink, which she returned with a small grin before looking up to the balconies above. The trio came to a stop before the door of what looked like a closed mechanic shop. Will reached to the security console and tapped two buttons, signaling the watchman to respond.

"_Yeah?"_ Asked a voice.

Will tapped his omnitool to transmit their security clearance without saying a word. A few seconds later, the double-wide doors to their right jumped to life and slid apart to reveal the entrance of the base. The large room was staffed by six or seven armed soldiers, each proudly wearing the colors of the RMC. Due to it being the public entrance, an unarmed representative sat behind a desk at the back of the room with a reinforced glass wall in the center, only interrupted by the security checkpoint and body-scanner at the center. Two soldiers stood at their post in front of the checkpoint, one of whom was standing beside a terminal. He was the officer who had opened the door, and immediately looked over to confirm that the three people entering were indeed who he thought they were.

"Hold on right there," the first soldier ordered.

"Relax," the officer told him as he turned from the terminal. "They've got clearance."

Will, Eleena and Tul came to a stop in front of the pair of RMC members, waiting to be let through the scanner.

"Clearance to walk straight through security in hardsuits and armed to the teeth?" The soldier asked, unconvinced.

The officer looked to him and shrugged. "Apparently."

Eleena tapped her foot and stared them down impatiently. "Well? May we?"

The two RMC soldiers reluctantly stepped to the side and the officer returned to his console.

"Hold on," he said before looking back to them and nodding. "Alright, go for it."

Will, Eleena and Tul walked casually through the security gate and into the main hall as they had done dozens of times before. The turian who sat behind the desk at the center of the room rose to greet them, nodding in greeting as he did.

"Captain Hume," the turian acknowledged with an extended hand.

"Hey Pyrrin, how's it going?" Will took his hand and shook once.

"Fine, fine," he answered. Pyrrin glanced to Tul and Eleena, nodding to each of them. "Right, then. Kallux told me to send you right in."

"I appreciate it," Will said with a smile.

The turian motioned toward the door to their left. "He should be in 2-A."

The squad turned for the door as Pyrrin returned to his desk, leaving them to finally pass through the halls freely. Will walked straight ahead as they walked through the doorway, leading them to the end of the hall where room 2-A, the large meeting room, was located. As they entered, Kallux stood at the far side of the room, waiting with a smirk on his face.

"Ah, so it was Eleena. I _thought_ I heard some familiar stomping coming down the hall," the krogan said teasingly.

The group rounded the table and stopped in front of Kallux. Eleena grinned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Fuck off," she said simply.

The krogan laughed and extended a hand, which the asari gladly grasped and shook firmly. Kallux then offered the same gesture to Tul and Will before motioning to the table.

"Shall we?"

Will was the first to accept the offer and pulled one of the chairs from the table. "Gladly," he answered as he slid into the seat.

The others followed and came to sit around the table, one of them on each side.

"I know you all are good, but that was almost too fast," Kallux mused. "You do know the assignment was to investigate the abductions, right?"

Eleena snapped her fingers joking. "Shit! I _knew_ we forgot to do something."

The group let out a few small laughs as Will looked down to his omnitool. Tul had sent him the summary of their findings that he had been putting together on their way over.

"Actually, we _did_ investigate," Will said, bringing them to the reason for their visit. "We only took a quick visit to the research station, but we found where we believe the abduction victims were being taken to. And we found the Blue Suns there."

Kallux sat up, his expression becoming much less lighthearted. "The Blue Suns?"

"They didn't stick around for long," Will assured him. He paused for a moment. "They didn't run the place, at least. Which is why we decided to head in after they left."

Tul entered a few commands on his omnitool, causing the viewscreen on the wall to flicker and update with an image of the facility they had infiltrated. The image had been taken through the spotting scope they had set up at the top of the mountain and showed nothing but the outside of the building. Kallux looked up and scanned the image carefully.

"Underground facility?" Kallux inquired after a moment.

"Yes, though not as large as you might expect," Tul'Sorrin answered as he replaced the image with the layout of the facility.

"Mm, I see." The krogan reached up to rub his chin thoughtfully. "And the prisoners?"

Will let out a small sigh. "There was only one. It sounded like all the others had been killed before we arrived."

Kallux grunted angrily. "You said the Blue Suns didn't run this place. Who did?"

"No idea," Eleena answered bluntly. "I don't think I saw a single emblem, logo or nameplate while we were there. The place looked like a black-ops situation."

"I'm still in the process of decrypting the contents of their lead researcher's personal databanks," Tul'Sorrin added. "Hopefully that will shed some light on the situation."

"That said, we do have a basic idea of what was happening." Will leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "It seems the facility was set up for experimenting on live subjects. Weapon research, most likely."

Kallux nodded lightly. "Then it's a good thing you decided to venture inside. What's the status of that prisoner you mentioned?"

Eleena let out an irritated sigh at the mention of the subject, forcing Will to answer before she could air her grievances.

"We extracted him. He's in surprisingly good condition, all things considered." Will tapped his omnitool to switch the image to that of a rough picture of the batarian. "His name is Welkinn. He's a Cleric of the Pillars, apparently."

"A cleric?" The krogan glanced to Will.

"That's right. And he takes his job _very_ seriously," Eleena added. "But, I guess you _have_ to if the Pillars themselves are whispering in your ear."

Kallux nodded understandingly. "I see. Hume? It looks like you might not share the same feelings as Eleena."

Will shook his head. "I'm not sure what my feeling are. He's definitely... devoted. And he's expressed an intense desire to help us if we decide to pursue the organization that took him captive. In fact, I think he's going to pursue them no matter what."

"And would you accept the help?" Kallux asked curiously.

"Maybe. He certainly seems to know how to kill," Will answered quietly.

The krogan looked to each of them. "Where is he now?"

"Shansa and T'lees took him to the market. They're going to extract more information from him as casually as possible," Tul replied. "We made sure that his gun was locked up on the ship for the time being."

Kallux quickly noticed the sour expression that Eleena wore.

"Eleena?" The krogan asked as he looked to the asari.

She crossed her arms. "I think there's a good chance he's unstable. Even if he's not, I don't believe the risk is worth it."

"Part of me agrees with her," Tul'Sorrin added. "But we should reserve our judgment until we've had time to observe him in a normal environment. So far we've only seen him as a recently liberated abduction victim."

"And live test subject," Will finished. "I agree with both of you. He very well may be unstable, but we should wait a little while before deciding what to do with him."

Kallux nodded in agreement. "If you need a place for him to stay, I can arrange to have a place set for him here. I'd like to at least introduce myself as well."

"He'd probably be pretty grateful," Will said. "I'll send Shansa and T'lees a message so they know where to bring him when they're done."

Eleena let out a defeated sigh. "As long as he's surrounded by the bulk of the RMC, I guess there's not much harm he could do."

Tul snorted to himself. "And that's _precisely_ the way to build trust. Eleena: ever the diplomat."

* * *

Two men clad in jet-black armor stepped from an idling shuttle onto the ice-slicked and muddy landing pad. Their eyes were narrowed as they took slow steps toward the entrance of the facility with little need for caution; their men had already swept the building and were preparing a preliminary report. The darker-skinned and younger of the two men moved ahead, tapping the door and ordering it to open before stepping inside. Everything in the lobby was shredded. The floors, walls, furniture and, most infuriatingly, the bodies of Lieutenant Burke's squad. A woman stepped through the door marked "Administration and Security" with a rifle tucked close to her chest and came to a stop immediately at the sight of the two new arrivals. She snapped a sharp salute.

"Commander. Lieutenant." The woman's voice was curt and respectful.

"At ease," the dark-skinned man, Lieutenant Yussef Prior, ordered. "Report, Sergeant."

The woman reached back and stowed her rifle as she stepped up to the officers. "It's bad, sir."

"I can see that, Sergeant Saitou," the lieutenant said grimly.

She nodded apologetically, worried by the silence from the commander that stood beside her lieutenant. "Lieutenant Burke and the entirety of his squad appears to be dead, sir."

"And the research staff?" The commander asked.

Prior glanced over to him. "Raphael, I don't think you should-"

The commander raised a hand to silence his subordinate and stared the sergeant down, waiting for an answer.

Saitou swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Commander Stafford. We found your wife's body on the lower level. Her lab assistant was dead as well."

The commander's piercing green eyes shut and his jaw clenched in a mixture of anger, guilt and despair. He turned to the side and forced himself to intake a few deep but strained breaths before looking back to Sergeant Saitou and forcing himself to speak.

"What _happened _here?" He demanded.

"We're trying to figure that out, sir," she answered nervously. "The security systems were wiped a few hours ago, but from what we've gathered from a quick look at her records, a shipment Doctor Stafford was expecting arrived here instead of the station. This happened just a few minutes before security was compromised."

"A shipment?" Lieutenant Prior asked.

Saitou nodded once. "Yes. It looks as though she had recently outsourced the gathering of subjects to the Blue Suns."

Commander Stafford's nostrils flared. "The Blue Suns. Show me the records."

The sergeant grabbed a datapad from her side and handed it to the officer who immediately began scanning through the logs.

"Farra was preparing the final trials," he read aloud. "Some sort of harpoon gun was being readied for an initial test-pass. Then there was a disturbance... the Blue Suns." Commander Stafford held the datapad out angrily. "They did this. They made deliveries here before and must have deduced how valuable the research was."

"So they murdered everyone?" Lieutenant Prior asked, unconvinced. "I don't know, sir. Wouldn't have wanted someone alive? Doctor Stafford alone was... an invaluable asset."

The commander shook his head. "Maybe a payment or two was not transferred properly and they came to collect the debt. It doesn't matter. We will get to the bottom of this."

Prior nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll notify the rest of the cell and-"

"No," Stafford interrupted. "Hephaestus is more than capable of handling this on its own."

* * *

Will looked up from his personal terminal as the buzzer rang out from the front door of his apartment. He instinctively reached for the Carnifex on the table beside him and slid it into the holster on his belt as he jumped to his feet and peered through the doorway from his bedroom to the living room. He wasn't expecting any visitors. The door buzzed again as Will took a step forward, looking to his left as he did. He could plainly see out the floor-to-ceiling bedroom window to the "skyline" of structures, but nothing caught his eye as abnormal. Will looked ahead and walked into the living room and the front door on the opposite side of the room. Another buzz. He grabbed his sidearm, pulled the barrel half-way from the holster and came to a stop at the security panel next to the door before reaching with one finger and tapping the screen on. He let out a sigh of relief and let the pistol find its place back at his side as he reached to unlock the door.

"Didn't know you two were coming by," he said as the door opened to reveal Shansa and T'lees waiting patiently on the other side.

"Well, we just dropped Welkinn off at HQ. I figured you might be interested in what we were able to pry out of him," Shansa said as she stepped past him into the apartment.

"Oh, certainly." Will stood aside and waved them in.

T'lees smiled warmly and bowed her head as she entered behind Shansa, the door sliding shut afterward. Shansa walked to the couch and dropped down with a sigh, her hardsuit clattering softly as she did. T'lees found a seat in the chair beside it as Will stood across from them and crossed his arms behind his back. The window behind him was dimmed to keep the orange glow of the city from filling the room while still leaving enough to provide decent illumination.

"I am surprised Eleena is not here," T'lees remarked with a small smile.

"She's down in the market," Will informed her as he shifted his weight.

Shansa shrugged lightly. "We can wait until she gets back."

"She just left, and she'll probably be a while," he assured her. "I'll fill her in."

Shansa nodded and glanced over to T'lees. "Where should we start?"

The asari looked up to Will. "Well, I am sure you will be glad to know that Welkinn did not appear to grow any more unstable. In fact, he seemed to act rather normal while we walked the marketplace."

"'Rather normal?'" Will asked, skeptically. "But not entirely normal?"

"Well, I guess it depends on how normal you think it is to say things aloud to the gods or spirits or whatever the Pillars are," Shansa qualified with a nervous laugh. "At first I thought he was just talking to himself or praying out loud, but then he started responding to their questions."

Will raised a brow. "And you... heard these questions?"

"We did not," T'lees clarified. "But we could infer what was happening from his answers."

Shansa sat forward. "But that's not what we really needed to tell you. We found out that this whole cleric thing only started about two years ago."

Will gave her an intrigued look. "Oh?"

T'lees nodded. "Yes, we asserted that a cleric might not provide the best fit with our team." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Which is when he told us that he was a soldier for _fifteen _years before following the Pillars."

"Huh. Well that gives me a little more faith," Will admitted. "Was he a soldier for the Hegemony?"

"I don't think so," Shansa answered with a hint of uncertainty. "I tried to get the answer, but he wasn't having it. It sounded like he's been in the Terminus Systems for years though, so I'm guessing it was for one of the local warlords."

Will turned and began pacing back and forth. "How did he react when you brought him to the Collective headquarters?"

"He seemed grateful, believe it or not." T'lees chuckled lightly. "Kallux made sure that his room was not near the prison block."

"Good." Will came to a stop and looked back to the women. "So what do you think? Would you trust him on a mission?"

Neither Shansa nor T'lees wanted to be the first to answer. They glanced to one another briefly before Shansa finally decided to respond.

"I don't know if _trust_ is the right word," she said truthfully. "But he really does sound like he wants to help."

T'lees nodded in agreement. "I would trust him. You gave me a chance, remember?"

Will looked to the side. "True enough. I guess we'll see where we're headed next and decide from there."

"Does where we're going really have that much of an impact on the decision?" Shansa said jokingly.

"Sure it does," Will answered with a small grin. "I'm sure as hell bringing him with us if we have to scope out a Ring of Pillars convention."


	7. Chapter 7

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 7**

_**Firing Range, Red Moon Collective Headquarters, Omega**_

"Your stance is completely wrong," Eleena said disapprovingly.

Shansa sighed and looked over her shoulder to where Will and Eleena were watching. They both stood with their backs leaning against the wall, eying her posture and stance carefully. Shansa lowered her rifle from the target that was down-range from her position and turned to face them with a furrowed brow.

"I was standing exactly like you showed me," Shansa argued as she planted a hand on her hips.

The asari smirked. "Were you?"

"Yes!"

Shansa turned and assumed the firing position once again before taking aim on the target.

"Close," Eleena said as she began walking toward her.

"How would you even know? You don't use a rifle!" Shansa objected.

"So? I still know how to use them," Eleena argued as she came to a stop behind her trainee. "Alright, your feet are much better now, but the stock needs to be right here." She reached around Shansa and positioned the rear-end of the rifle on her shoulder. "And loosen your forward grip a little, you're not trying to choke the gun to death."

Shansa took the advice and readjusted her arms and hands as Will watched from behind them with a small smile. Eleena slowly stepped back and looked Shansa up and down carefully before nodding in satisfaction.

"Alright, go for it," she commanded.

As she drew in a deep breath, Shansa closed on eye and looked down the sights of her rifle. There was a series of pops as she pulled the trigger and sent shots down-range before she dropped the rifle and squinted to take a look at the holographic target.

"Not bad," Will commended as he stepped up behind her with Eleena at his side.

"Pretty much all in the center of mass," the asari noted. "How many times have you fired a rifle?"

Shansa set the weapon down in front of her as she held back a proud smile. "Only a few times! You really think I'm getting better?"

"Of course," Eleena assured her. "I mean, you have me as an instructor so how could you _not_ be good?"

"Aheh, thanks for the help, Eleena." Shansa finally let the smile spread across her lips.

The asari smirked and slapped her shoulder. "Anytime, Shan."

Will crossed his arms, smiling at the two as well. "If you're gonna keep practicing you might want to consider getting your own rifle."

Shansa nodded in consideration. "I'll think about it."

Eleena glanced to Will and gave him a look of surprised approval while Shansa leaned forward to examine the rifle. He looked down to his wrist as his omnitool buzzed to alert him of a newly arrived message. Will activated the messaging program and raised his brows.

"Hmm. Kallux wants to meet us at the bar," he informed them. "Well, technically it looks like he just wants to see me... but I'm sure you two are welcome to come along."

"It's okay, I'm gonna stay here and keep practicing," Shansa said as she picked up the rifle once again.

"Head on without me," Eleena added. "I'll keep an eye on this one," she smirked and motioned toward Shansa.

"Don't have too much fun," he remarked jokingly.

Will deactivated his omnitool and turned for the door, stretching his back as he did. As he passed into the armory he gave a nod to the requisitions officer and continued on to the elevator that would take him to the main level. He continued to the public entrance without incident and gave a pleasant wave to Pyrrin as he walked past the turian and through the front door. His nose jumped slightly as he stepped into the less-than-clean air of the Omega streets, but turned and quickly hurried down the block toward Discharge. The closer he got, the more he analyzed the message Kallux had sent. He was slightly suspicious of the fact that the krogan had invited him to the bar of all places, and without asking to bring the others. Will briefly considered returning to the ship to equip his combat armor, but shook his head and continued onward. The bar was in a relatively safe part of town. It didn't take but a few seconds to find Kallux after stepping inside; the krogan was sitting in the back of the blue and purple-tinted room at a table with only two chairs. Will nodded in greeting as he approached.

"That was quick," Kallux mentioned as he took a sip of his drink.

Will smirked and slid into the chair opposite Kallux. "Hey, when a krogan comes callin', you answer."

Kallux shook his head and downed the last of his drink. Will sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, watching the krogan curiously.

"So, what's the deal?" Will finally asked. "And why is it here?"

"It's here because I've decided to take some security precautions since your episode with the Blue Suns," Kallux answered with a slightly lowered voice.

Will raised a brow. "This doesn't look like extra security."

The krogan waved his hand dismissively. "Security doesn't have to mean more guns and heavier armor. In this case, it means being outside headquarters. We found a monitoring device in one of the hallways, but we don't know who placed it. Until we've finished our full sweep I'll be taking the subject of our briefings into consideration before holding them in the planning and meeting room."

"I gotcha." Will straightened himself in the chair. "And the subject of this 'briefing?'"

Kallux looked to Will and grinned. "I've got a lead for you. I had the intel team do a little digging, and we've found something that I want you and the crew to check out."

"Why the secrecy?" Will inquired.

The krogan set a datapad on the table between them and leaned forward, speaking quietly. "Like I said before... Blue Suns."

Will looked down and read over the brief mission statement on the tablet. "Investigate a Blue Suns slave brokering outpost on Dumarril? Where the hell is Dumarril?"

"It's one of the moons orbiting Dumah, a planet in the Micah System," Kallux answered. "Which is the same system where _Garvug_ is located."

Kallux and Will locked eyes for a moment before he responded to the krogan. "You think that 'shipment' by the Blue Suns originated from this place?"

"Or they passed through," Kallux suggested. "At the very least, they might have records indicating the organization that was running the facility on Garvug. And from the sound of it, Tul'Sorrin isn't having any luck with that data he pulled."

It was true. The quarian had finally managed to crack the encryption on the contents of Doctor Stafford's terminal, but he hadn't found anything that might suggest what the group was, or who had hired them. Instead, Tul decided to dive into the trial reports in search of how long the operation had persisted and what exactly the extent of their experiments had been. Will looked down at the datapad again.

"When you say... 'investigate...'" He glanced up to the krogan.

Kallux sat back and paused for a moment. "That's up to you. But the smaller the chance of brining attention to the RMC, the better."

Will raised a hand to his chin and stroked it in contemplation. "True enough."

"You know, it wouldn't be hard to schedule a visit. Pretend to be a potential buyer and ask to preview the 'merchandise,'" the krogan suggested.

"I don't know if the crew could pull off that kind of infiltration," Will said hesitantly. "We're usually more about running in shooting."

"I've seen you be discrete when it's necessary," Kallux argued. "Plus, if you talk your way in and things go bad, there's nothing stopping you from running _out_ shooting."

Will cocked a brow. "Unless they confiscate our weapons."

The krogan shrugged. "They could. Or you could tell them that's not an option, and they respect your gall. You're investigating a _slavery_ outpost, remember? I bet most visitors don't just walk in without any protection."

"Hmm, good point." He continued to scratch at his chin. "I could go in unarmed... the potential buyer. The others could be my bodyguards."

Kallux nodded. "Couldn't hurt the broaden the crew's skill set."

"Well, I guess I'll alert the crew," Will said decisively as he prepared to stand. "And tell them to brush up on their acting."

"I've got a suggestion," Kallux mentioned, his finger raised.

Will sat himself back into the chair and nodded for the krogan to continue.

"I'd recommend bringing someone familiar was the Blue Suns procedures and protocols," Kallux advised, his voice once again slightly lowered.

"And I'm sure you've got someone in mind," Will said with a smirk.

"You remember Ralliston Kitt? He's showing promise as an operative. Knows how to get things done within our... unique guidelines." The krogan looked to the side. "And he's ex-Blue Suns. Held a decent rank with them before getting out, at that."

Will sat back in the chair let his gaze fall idly to the table as he considered the idea. He didn't know as much as he would have liked about Ralliston, and the only mission he had run with him hadn't ended optimally. Of course, that had been in no way the turian's fault, but he was still unsure about his trustworthiness.

"I know that look," Kallux mentioned as the waitress set another glass of liquor in front of him. "_You_ may not trust him, but he's loyal."

"Loyal? He hasn't been with the RMC very long," Will countered.

The krogan shrugged. "True. But he hates the Blue Suns, and he's definitely loyal to his paycheck."

Will shook his head as he finally stood. "I'll talk with the others and see what they think."

Kallux took the first sip of his new drink. "Good. I'll get in touch with Ralliston and give him some of the preliminary details. Just let me know what you decide and I'll send him orders from there."

* * *

Six hours later, after an exhaustive discussion and debate, Will sat on a crate in the _Hyperion_ docking bay staring at the door. As he had expected, Eleena had harshly objected to the idea of bringing Ralliston and Welk along for a mission that was inherently risky to begin with. T'lees had advocated for the newcomers, however, and pointed out to the crew that both the turian and batarian had motivation for seeing the mission completed, but little for seeing it fail. Tul'Sorrin also reasoned that the knowledge of the slave trade and Blue Suns that Welk and Ralliston would bring was worth the risk.

"Why are we assaulting the Blue Suns?" Welkinn asked as he stood beside Will like a patient watchdog. "We came to the conclusion that they were not running the facility, did we not?"

Will glanced over to the batarian who had insisted on waiting with him for Ralliston's arrival. The rest of the crew was already on board the ship preparing for departure.

"They might have information on who _was_ running it," Will answered. "Just a name in a payment log would be worth the trip."

The answer seemed to satiate Welkinn's curiosity as they both looked back to the doorway. They sat and stood in silence for another minute or two before Will decided to use the opportunity to continue probing into the batarian's past.

"So, Welkinn, I hear that you used to be a soldier." Will looked over to him out of the corner of his eye. "That true?"

The batarian hesitated for a moment, but nodded. "Yes. I was a soldier before I was led to my current path."

"Hmm. Soldier. Not a mercenary?" Will asked curiously.

"No. I was a loyal member of the Guard." His mouth opened as though he was preparing to continue, but said nothing.

"The Guard? Is that a branch of the Hegemony?"

Welkinn chuckled. "Oh, no. I have never set foot on Khar'shan. I was born in the Terminus, and I plan to die here."

Will looked over to him and raised a brow. "Do you have something against your homeworld?"

Before he could respond, the door pinged and slid apart, catching both Will and Welkinn's attention. They turned and looked to see a bulky turian step into the docking bay with a heavy-looking footlocker in his arms. He set the locker down and shut the door behind him as he turned to face Will and Welkinn. Ralliston wore the same, battle-worn set of RMC colored armor that Will had seen him in a few weeks ago during their operation against the Blades.

"Captain Hume," the turian acknowledged. "And...?"

"Welkinn Ranzeet'shanis, Cleric of the Ring," the batarian answered.

Ralliston looked him up and down once then glanced back to Will. "I was told you need some help fucking up the Blue Suns."

"Indirectly, maybe," Will corrected as he stood from the crate. "I don't know how much Kallux told you about the mission, but the primary goal to gather intel."

The turian stepped up to Will. "Then why do you and Kallux want _me_ on this?"

"You used to be with the Blue Suns," Will said as he eyed the spot of blue paint showing through the chip on his armor. "We need someone with us who knows how their bases operate." He saw the stock of the turian's rifle poking up over his shoulder. "And, if things don't go as planned, we need some muscle. That makes you a pretty good candidate in my book."

Ralliston shrugged coolly. "Fine. Works for me."

"That armor might be a problem, though." Will motioned toward the RMC logo on his chest.

"One step ahead of you. Kallux had me stop by the armory," the turian mentioned as he turned back to retrieve the footlocker behind him. "He said this should be comparable to my suit."

He opened the locker and stepped aside to show Will a nicely-packed set of black armor bearing no emblems or logos. After getting a nod of approval, the turian shut the footlocker and turned back to face Will. Welk remained standing to the side, watching the conversation in silence. Will looked down as a buzz rang out from his omnitool.

"_We're ready to launch,"_ Shansa's voice reported as he opened the channel.

"Affirmative," Will answered. "Ralliston is here and we're heading inside now."

He stepped forward to grasp on side of the footlocker as Ralliston grabbed the other. Will let out a grunt as they lifted the heavy locker, making him wonder how the turian was able to carry not only alone, but with ease.

"Welk, get the airlock for us."

The batarian finally moved from his position and stepped back to open the door for them. Will nodded in thanks as they collectively gathered inside the forward airlock and waited as the decontamination mist began to fill the room.

* * *

Will stood beside his workbench and the rifle laying on top of it, patiently waiting for his diagnostic report to complete. Two benches away, Ralliston was laying out his gear on the same bench that had been used by a Spectre just months earlier. Will looked over and watched the turian closely. He had learned from Corsin and Tyrixis just how hard it was to read a turian's emotions from their face, but Ralliston might as well have been wearing a bag over his head. The only thing that he could identify as part of his expression was the slightly narrowed state of Ralliston's eyes, which seemed to be focused intently on the equipment before him. Or it was anger. Will hoped it was focus.

"The crew didn't seem too thrilled to have me on board," the turian mentioned, his eye shifting to Will as they both continued to stand over their respective workbenches.

"They're worried about whether or not bringing you is a good idea," Will said plainly.

"Yeah? I guess they weren't paying attention on that strike against the Blades," the turian replied sarcastically. "According to the after action report, I took down more targets than anyone in either squad."

"It's not your combat capabilities they're worried about," Will said. "It's your trustworthiness."

Ralliston chuckled dismissively. "Why? Because I'm not part of your little 'inner circle' with Kallux?"

"No, because this crew is about more than just killing whatever stands in our way," an accusatory female voice interjected.

Will looked over his shoulder to see Eleena approaching from the engineering compartment, wiping her hands on the leg of her jumpsuit. He smiled as she came to a stop at his side and returned the gesture before looking over to Ralliston.

"I've gotta _know_ that you'll have my back," she continued. "Any hesitation in a firefight and we lose our cohesion."

The turian finally turned from his work and crossed his arms. "I've got your damned back," he argued. "If anyone here should be apprehensive, it's me. _I'm_ the new cog trying to fit into the finely oiled machine, remember?"

"Well, it's not just you," Will said with a small smirk. "Welk is an... unproven entity as well. Which Eleena is also not thrilled about."

The asari let out a sigh. "I'm just being cautious."

"It's fine." Ralliston looked back to his workbench. "I don't blame you."

Will glanced to his omnitool to see that the diagnostic had finally finished running. He pulled up the data and began looking through it as Eleena stood behind him and read over his shoulder. She placed a hand gently on his upper arm.

"I'm surprised that rifle is operating as well as it is," Eleena mentioned, almost as though she was trying to steer away from the previous conversation.

"It's a reliable piece of hardware," Will said with a small laugh. "Treated my dad well through the war and it's treated me well since then."

His eyes shifted to her, only to see a figure approaching them from the forward hall. He lowered his omnitool and turned as she did to face Tul'Sorrin. The quarian nodded to each of them, glanced beyond the couple to Ralliston, and then back to Will.

"I've found something interesting in Doctor Stafford's files," he said quietly.

Will raised a brow. "I'm listening."

"It was a little buried, but I found all the reports on Welkinn's trials." Tul'Sorrin looked to Eleena and then back to Will. "He definitely wasn't one of the control subjects."

Eleena crossed her arms and leaned forward slightly. "I haven't seen _any_ physical wounds on him. Are you sure it's the right file?"

Tul nodded. "Yes. And the reason you haven't seen any wounds is because his particular tests were electroconvulsive shock sessions."

"So it was nothing intense enough to leave physical damage," Will theorized.

"Unless the electrodes were placed somewhere we haven't seen," Eleena countered.

"That is the more likely reason," Tul said. "It looks like the tests were not... gentle."

Ralliston looked over from his workbench. "So _these_ are the issues with the other new hire, and you're worried about my _trustworthiness?"_

Will glanced to Eleena and smirked. "He's got a point."

The asari shook her head and looked back to Tul. "Anything else? Notes on his behavior or reactions?"

"Not so far," the quarian lamented. "And I'm running out of data to sift through."

"Alright, then let's worry about this later," Will said as he crossed his arms. "We've got a mission to focus on."

Tul'Sorrin nodded. "Yes, you're right. Speaking of which, what's our plan?"

Will chuckled. "I'm glad you asked. Meet me in the bunkroom in ten minutes so we can start working on it."

"Sure thing, Captain." The quarian turned and headed off for the forward hall once again.

"Ralliston," Will called as he looked back to the turian. "I want you there too."

The turian set his final piece of equipment in its place on the workbench. "For?"

Eleena gave Will a curious look. "I'd like to know as well."

"No point in bringing an expert on the Blue Suns if we're not going to use him," Will answered.

He tapped a button on the side of his rifle to put the mass accelerator in hibernation before reaching up and setting it on the rack at the center of his armory station.


	8. Chapter 8

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 8**

_**MSV Hyperion, en route to Dumah, Micah System**_

"_Setting our approach now,"_ Shansa announced over the ship-wide comm. _"Once we've got a steady orbit I'll head back and prep the shuttle for launch."_

"Roger that, Shan."

Will closed his omnitool after responding and returned to the task at hand: equipping himself for the mission. He reached forward and retrieved his gloves, the final pieces of his hardsuit, and began sliding them on. Around him, at the other armory stations, the others were finishing their preparations as well. Ralliston was busy ensuring the integrity of the unfamiliar suit of armor that he had been given for the mission while Tul'Sorrin paced back and forth, flickering in and out of invisibility by means of his tactical cloak.

"What do you think? Do I look like the menacing bodyguard of a slave owner?" T'lees asked as she gave an less-than-serious snarl to Eleena.

Eleena looked over from her workbench and smirked. "Um... well... you've got the eyepatch working in your favor."

T'lees chuckled softly and grabbed her shotgun from its shelf and stowed it on her back. "Perhaps I would be even more intimidating if I did _not_ wear it."

To Will's right, on the far end of the row of workbenches, Welkinn stood with his hands behind his back and eyes staring down at his weapon. Will watched the batarian closely while he locked his gloves in place and reached to retrieve his own rifle. He caught himself as his hand touched the M-15 Vindicator and reluctantly pulled his arm back. The plan had changed slightly as Will and Tul'Sorrin had evaluated their best course of action for the mission. Will was now posing as a potential investor during their visit and thus would appear confident in his "bodyguards" and their ability to handle any incidents without him raising a finger. He drew in a deep breath and considered this for a moment before grabbing his Carnifex and sliding it into its the holster on his hip. Nobody was_ that_ confident in their security, he told himself.

"You doin' alright, Welk?" Will asked as he looked over to the batarian.

Welkinn continued to look at his weapon, though his eyes were barely slivers. His lips muttered something silently before he reached forward and grabbed his rifle, his eyes widening to normal as he did.

"Yes. Just making preparations," he answered while sliding the harpoon gun over his shoulder.

"_Orbit is locked,"_ Shansa's voice reported. _"I'm on my way back!"_

Will turned around to see others beginning to congregate nearby. Ralliston was checking over his weapon, while the two asari stood side-by-side nearby. Tul had finished the calibrations on his stealth generator and was hurrying over to them from the opposite end of the room. Will placed his hands on the bench behind him and leaned back slightly as Shansa came through the door nearly skipping. She immediately changed her course as she spotted the group and made her way to them, coming to a stop next to Tul'Sorrin.

"How far away is the outpost?" Will asked as she arrived.

The pilot planted her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Five minutes? Ten at the most."

Will nodded and looked around the group. "Alright. In that case, I'll restate the plan before we board the Kodiak." He took a small breath. "As we discussed, the primary goal for this mission is to gather intel. The infiltration team will split into two units. The first will be led by me while I pose a potential investor who wants to check out their operation before laying any credits down. Hopefully this angle will get us more information than the cover of just an interested buyer. Those of you posing as my bodyguards should stay quiet and don't speak unless I address you." He smirked. "Our relationship is pure business for this trip. The second unit will just be Tul'Sorrin. He'll use his stealth generator to get past security and collect as much data from their records as he can. If either unit runs into trouble, the other will need to be ready to react and support them."

"And if we don't run into trouble?" Ralliston asked.

"Then we leave once each unit has determined that they've gathered a sufficient amount of intel," Will answered. "I'll tell them that we're interested, but not ready to buy in just yet."

Eleena nodded and crossed her arms. "Anything else?'

"Yes, actually," Will said apprehensively. "Shansa will be waiting on the shuttle in case we need to make a quick escape, but she's going to need protection. I don't trust the Blue Suns to keep their hands off of the Kodiak." He looked back to Eleena and let out a sigh. "I want you to stay with her."

The asari narrowed her eyes. "Are you joking? You need me with you."

Will remained silent for a moment, then looked toward the shuttle. "Everyone load up. Shansa, get the shuttle ready for departure."

The rest of the squad eyed Will and Eleena for a moment before Shansa nodded and waved for them to follow her as she turned for the shuttle.

"Come on, you heard the man," she called.

As they left, Eleena remained with her arms crossed staring Will down. He took a step toward her and lowered his voice.

"Someone has to guard the shuttle and make sure nothing happens to Shansa," he reiterated. "And I need someone that I can absolutely trust. Tul's out, obviously, and T'lees..." Will glanced over to the other asari as she jumped up into the Kodiak with the others. "I don't trust her enough for this. Not yet. I'd be more comfortable with you covering our exit."

Eleena gave him a small smirk and let her arms fall to her sides. "I hate it when you shoot my objections down with good reason."

He chuckled and reached forward, taking her hand in his. "I mean it. If things go downhill, they're gonna try to take out our method of escape. I need you to keep the Shansa safe. And the Kodiak, of course."

"Hey, relax. You can count on me," she assured him.

Will smiled and leaned forward, placing a quick but deep kiss on her lips. "I always do."

Eleena grinned and turned for the Kodiak as Will followed behind her. The shuttle's engines were already humming as they idled, the side hatch open and waiting for them. The pair jumped up into the transport shuttle to see T'lees, Ralliston and Welk already strapped into their seats as Tul and Shansa finished the pre-flight checklist. Will turned and shut the door behind them as the Kodiak shook gently and lifted off from the floor of the cargo bay.

"Preparing to disembark," Shansa informed them.

Will dropped into his place on the nearest seat and looked over to where Welkinn sat. "You still doing okay, Welk?"

The batarian turned his head and gave him a quizzical look. "Of course, Captain."

"Alright. Just remember: you're a bodyguard on this mission. Don't be assertive unless I tell you to be," Will reminded him before glancing over to Ralliston and T'lees. "That goes for both of you as well."

"Do not worry yourself, Captain Hume," T'lees said with a smile. "You have reminded us of this three times now."

"Ralliston?" Will looked to the turian for confirmation.

The turian tilted his head to the left and right coolly, stretching his neck to loosen his joints up.

"Whatever you say," he answered absently.

A few minutes later the shuttle was soaring toward Dumarril as the occupants sat mentally preparing themselves for the mission. Shansa had been correct in her estimate and after a brief five minute flight they had already found themselves in range of the Blue Suns' scanners, as Tul reported.

A few seconds later he looked over to Shansa. "We're being pinged for our security clearance. I assume it's the one attached to the mission file?"

"Should be," she answered.

Tul looked back to his console and tapped a few keys. "Let's hope so."

"We've been directed to dock in their visitor bay," Shansa said about ten seconds later.

Will stood up from his bench and leaned against the doorway to the cockpit. He could see the base on the surface of the moon as they approached. Much to his surprise, it consisted of one very large building with only a few smaller prefabs scattered around it, indicating that the base had been built as a permanent fixture.

"Kallux gave me the impression that this was a small outpost," he said to no one in particular. "Doesn't _look_ like a small operation."

Tul glanced over his shoulder. "I agree. We should be cautious."

Will smirked. "Good thinking. I was planning on playing it fast and loose." He turned back to the cabin and reached down to his omnitool, activating his shield generator. "Everyone ready?"

T'lees, Ralliston and Welk stood from their seats and formed up around Will as Tul'Sorrin stepped out of the cockpit and activated his active camouflage, cloaking him in the blink of an eye. The turian let out an amused chuckle.

"Where did you pick up one of those?"

"It was given to me by a... business associate," the invisible quarian answered. "But they're not terribly difficult to got your hands on."

"We're setting down now," Shansa called from the cockpit.

Eleena stood and walked around the group toward the forward end of the cabin. She placed her hand beside the hatch controls and looked to the squad with a determined nod.

"Is everyone ready?" She asked.

Will nodded and stepped up to the door, trying his best to put on the face of a slave owner. Or at the very least, someone sympathetic to the practice. The others took up position around him.

"I think so," he finally answered.

Eleena tapped the controls and stepped back to lean against the wall as the hatch hissed and parted. Will lifted his chin slightly and looked ahead confidently as they were greeted by a dingy-looking hangar and five members of the Blue Suns. One of the overhead lights flickered, immediately giving Will an uneasy feeling that he did his best to hide. He looked down to the five armed Blue Suns in front of him and took a step forward, dropping to the floor of the hangar with a small sigh of exertion. Behind him, T'lees, Welkinn and Ralliston stepped out of the shuttle with their weapons held across their chests, ready to bring them to bear. Will looked to the foremost member of the Blue Suns and stepped into character.

"I expected a little more from your 'guest' hangar," Will said as pretentiously as possible.

The leader of the group of Blue Suns, a human that looked only a few years older than Will, took a step forward and gave them a sour look. Both he and Will were without a helmet, letting them stare straight into each others eyes, challengingly.

"Yuri Whitman?" The Blue Suns leader spoke in a deep accent most likely originating from somewhere in South America on Earth.

"That's right," Will responded confidently. "And you are?"

Behind him he could hear the rumbling thrusters on the Kodiak slacken to idle before cutting off as the side hatch closed with Eleena and Shansa inside. Without his helmet and HUD he could not check the squad waypoints, but he assumed that Tul'Sorrin had stepped out of the shuttle in stealth and was discretely making his way into the shadows.

"Captain Esparza," he answered. "Who are your associates?"

Will looked back to Ralliston, Welkinn and T'lees. They were standing in silence while looking about the room for any suspicious activity.

"My security, Mr. Esparza," Will answered condescendingly. "Who else would they be?"

The Blue Suns captain snorted. "Well they've got two options: put down their guns or get thrown out the airlock."

"I'm afraid neither of those are going to work for us," Will objected as he raised his left hand, alerting the squad to ready their weapons. "I'm not touring a slave trade outpost _alone _so you can capture and hold me for ransom_._ If you thought I was that stupid, you may as well have just asked me to follow you straight into the brig when we landed. And since _I'm _the one considering giving _you _money, perhaps you should be a bit more receptive to my desires."

The Blue Suns lifted their weapons as the _Hyperion_ squad raised theirs. Will and Esparza stared one another down for a few tense moments before the Blue Suns captain nodded and waved his men off.

"Very well. But I'll have you know now that there are three dozen men stationed here, and if you attempt anything that might threaten the integrity of our operation, we will not hesitate to kill you," he said plainly.

Will stared him down icily before putting on an expression of mock-offense to the assertion and stepped forward with an extended hand.

"So far I'm impressed with your dedication to security," he said lightheartedly. "I think I'm done for the time being, but unless you've got any more posturing to do then why don't we get this started?"

Esparza smirked approvingly and took the hand, shaking in once. "Welcome to Outpost Kappa Five, Mr. Whitman. Please, follow me."

Both sides lowered their weapons as Esparza motioned for Will to follow him to a door on the far side of the room.

"I wasn't expecting a facility this large," Will mentioned as he looked over to Esparza.

He nodded in acknowledgment and tapped a few buttons on the security panel to unlock the airlock door. "This outpost has been around for some time, actually. It started out as a salarian research station around a hundred years ago, but it was abandoned around 2170. We were able to move in and secure it for our own interests shortly after."

The group was led into a hallway lined in utilitarian, gray metal panels with off-white lights hanging from the ceiling approximately every two meters. Will glanced over to Esparza and pretended to be impressed.

"How did you know about it?" He inquired.

Esparza turned the group through a door on the right side of the hall. He waved off two of the Blue Suns that were following them as he did. "We have contacts scattered throughout the Terminus, Traverse... even Council space and many homeworld systems."

"I imagine that helps with finding targets for the trade," Will stated.

"It's proving useful, yes. Our network is small, but growing."

The group halted at a security door guarded by two additional members of the Blue Suns. As Esparza stepped forward and began the process of accessing the next zone, Will felt a buzz and looked down to his omnitool. He casually stepped to the side and raised his wrist before activating the tool and looking at the new message from Tul'Sorrin.

_Found a data center. Looking for a way in that won't draw attention._

Will shook his head dismissively as he read the message and closed his omnitool in an attempt to deflect any suspicion the Blue Suns might have.

"This is our holding center," Esparza announced as the security door finally opened. "Since we took control of this facility it has gone under multiple renovations to bring it up to our standards."

"You have standards?" Will asked, surprised.

Esparza laughed. "Of course. People purchase from us for a variety of needs. Many of them require the product to be in good health."

Will hid his gritted teeth at the use of the word "product" as he and the rest of the _Hyperion_ squad looked ahead to see dozens of cells lining either side of a wide hallway. Esparza stepped through the door and waved for them to follow. Will swallowed hard and did his best to hide his disgust. He glanced back to T'lees, Ralliston and Welkinn to see that they were all managing the same stone-cold expressions they had held since leaving the Kodiak.

"We're actually rather low on product at the moment," Esparza admitted with a small sigh. "Mainly due to our limited collection and distribution fleet." He looked over to Will. "A bottleneck that your support could help eliminate."

"I'll keep that in mind," Will said offhandedly. "I have stakes in quite a few independent shipyards that could assist with that issue," he lied.

It must have sounded convincing, as the remark clearly pleased Esparza and set him at ease. Will looked into each empty cell that they passed until they were near the far end of the hall. He steadied his breathing as they came to a stop in front of a cell housing two turians.

"These two are actually pending distribution. There was a mix-up with our last delivery and we're still waiting on the buyers to contact us." Esparza let out an irritated sigh. "It sounds like they're thinking of backing out of the purchase."

Will tore his eyes from the currently sleeping or incapacitated victims and glanced to Esparza. "Buyers, huh? Who?"

The Blue Suns captain shrugged. "No details on them, really. We don't demand anything from our clients before a delivery other than proof that they've got the payment ready."

Will looked to the side quickly to see T'lees shared the same disappointment he felt. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind and returned to his character.

"Smart," he said to Esparza. "I imagine that gives you a rather broad spectrum of customers."

"As I said, we don't know much about the vast majority of them," Esparza reiterated. "Would you like to see the operations center?"

Will raised a brow. "Would you allow it?"

Esparza turned for the nearby door. "Sure. I'll introduce you to the station's head of operations."

The _Hyperion_ squad followed Esparza in silence as he swiftly escorted them through a series of halls to an elevator. The Blue Suns captain looked over to Will as the door opened and they piled in.

"The operations center is a secure room," Esparza informed them. "You and your security will need to pass through our screening checkpoint."

Will hesitated and glanced around the elevator car. "A 'screening checkpoint?'"

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to the security checkpoint Esparza had spoken of. The Blue Suns stepped out of the car ahead of them and turned back to Will, T'lees, Ralliston and Welkinn.

"We document everyone who enters the operations center," Esparza explained. "We'll just do a quick bio-scan."

Will stepped forward with the others following close behind him. He looked to see his omnitool blinking to indicate another message had been transmitted.

"Alright," he agreed as he opened his omnitool.

The most recent message was from Tul'Sorrin.

_I found some records. This was definitely the hub that sent out the delivery to Garvug, but they haven't been contacted since it was rejected._

Will looked up to the Blue Suns and held up a finger. "One moment. A business issue." He looked over his shoulder and nodded the others forward. "Why don't you three do your scans while I take care of this."

T'lees, Welkinn and Ralliston stepped forward and approached the Blue Suns as Will looked back to his omnitool and began typing a response.

_Understood. Pull what you can. We're about to enter their operations center, so hopefully we'll find something useful here. They're making us do a bio-scan to get in, though. If you're in their network, see if you can find where the data is stored and wipe it. Otherwise just set the whole system to wipe in a few hours. We can't have this information sitting in a Blue Suns database._

He sent the message and looked up to see Ralliston was the first in line. Will walked across the room and stood beside the turian as the closest member of the Blue Suns, a human, lifted a small medical device.

"Remove your helmet," he human requested.

Ralliston reluctantly stowed his rifle and lifted his hands to unlatch and remove his helmet. As he held it at his side, the human lifted the tool to scan his eyes when he came to a sudden stop. He looked back to Esparza and cleared his throat.

"Hey, sir, come look at this."

Will felt his heart jump.

Esparza raised a brow and took a step closer. "What it is?"

The human looked back to Ralliston and nodded. "His neck."

Will quickly looked to T'lees and Welkinn. The asari's face was serene, making him think that she was preparing to unleash her biotics if necessary. The batarian stood completely still and stared the Blue Suns down, his fingers tightening around the grips on his harpoon rifle.

Ralliston looked to Esparza and the human. "What the hell are you looking at?"

Esparza narrowed his eyes as he examined the turian's neck. He looked back up to Ralliston and smirked.

"You used to be Blue Suns," he asserted.

Ralliston shrugged lightly. "I might've been. How would you know?"

Will slowly moved his hand to rest on his belt, just beside the holster that held his pistol. The Blue Suns subordinate raised the device once again and performed the scan on Ralliston as they spoke.

"You know how. The acid burn," Esparza stated confidently as he pointed to a large spot of discolored skin on the turian's neck. "A pretty large one, too."

"So, what does that mean?" Will asked.

He would have played ignorant of the subject, but in this circumstance he didn't have to.

"Every recruit of the Blue Suns gets the emblem tattooed somewhere prominent," Esparza explained. "It's a point of pride. But it seems your friend here saw fit to remove it with a little splash of acid. You weren't _ashamed _of it, were you?"

Ralliston gave Esparza a challenging look. "First off, I'm not his friend. I'm an employee. And second..." The turian turned the rest of his body to face the Blue Suns captain and straightened himself up, towering nearly a foot over him. "I wasn't ashamed. I was just sick of being confused for one of you pieces of shit while trying to enjoy a drink at the bar."

Will stepped forward and put his hands between Ralliston and Esparza, putting some space between the quickly dissolving situation. "Woah, let's settle down," he ordered to the turian. "We're guests here, remember?"

Esparza snarled at the two of them and raised an accusatory finger. "You'd better thank whatever Spirits you pray to that we're interested in working with your boss."

"A business relationship I would _love_ to explore further," Will quickly added. "So far, I've been very impressed by your operation here."

He looked to Esparza, hoping that his attempts to diffuse the situation had succeeded. Before Esparza could answer, the other Blue Suns member cleared his throat and nudged him with the holopad in is hand.

"Uh, sir, we already have a bio-scan record on file for..."

Esparza turned and looked down to the holopad, reading the first line aloud. "'Ralliston Kitt?'"

The Blue Suns captain took the holopad and scrolled down, looking over the file. His expression quickly began to dissolve into anger. Will's hand once again returned to his hip, hovering near the pistol in its holster.

"If this record is accurate..." Esparza said slowly, fury clearly rising in his voice.

Will's fingers slipped around the grip on his Carnifex. He was about to pull the sidearm when the sound and shock of an explosion shook the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 9**

_**Blue Suns Outpost Kappa Five, Dumarril**_

Will braced himself on the nearest wall as the room shook violently from the force of the explosion. The others in the room instinctively grabbed onto nearby shelves, desks and posts, leaving the _Hyperion_ squad and Blue Suns unconcerned with each others presence for a second or two. Unfortunately, the ignorance did not last long.

"I knew it was a trick!" Esparza shouted furiously.

He and the other Blue Suns were already bringing their weapons to bear when he shouted.

"Kill them!" He ordered.

Will grabbed and pulled his pistol from its holster. "We have nothing to do with this!"

As the words left his mouth the nearest member of the Blue Suns leveled his weapon on Will's head and wrapped his finger around the trigger. Had he lived for a second longer, he might have gotten a shot off. Rather, a harpoon bolt struck the Blue Suns soldier directly in the neck, piercing his shields and armor and throwing him to the ground. Will dove for cover knowing that without a helmet he could be killed instantly from a single stray bullet. Every other weapon in the room exploded as soon as the first Blue Suns soldier was hit. Ralliston had also jumped for cover, having removed his helmet just moments earlier, but was able to fire his rifle blindly around the corner of the pillar that shielded him. The fight lasted mere seconds. T'lees had indeed been preparing a biotic attack: a throw that tore one of the two remaining enemies from the ground and tossed him to the floor. Will peered around the corner of the desk to see him dropped by T'lees with a blast from her shotgun as Welk took aim with his harpoon rifle. The only target remaining was Esparza. The Blue Suns captain had pulled his rifle from his back and begun spraying bullets down range as he backpedaled toward the security door on the far end of the room. Just as he reached it, another crack rang out from Welk's rifle, sending a harpoon straight into Esparza's unarmored head. Will winced and averted his gaze as he jumped to his feet.

"Everyone alright?" He asked.

Ralliston hurried to the center of the room where he had dropped his helmet and grabbed it with his left hand while holding his rifle in his right. "Fine."

T'lees and Welkinn both turned to Will and nodded as he grabbed his collapsed helmet from the storage slot on his back and expanded it. He looked down to see two incoming transmissions and activated his omnitool to merge all the channels.

"Channels merged," he spoke before sliding his helmet on. "Eleena, report."

"_We're fine. All the Blue Suns left when you did. What the hell was that?"_ The asari answered with little sound of worry.

"Not us," Will replied. "Tul, what's your status? Was that something you did?"

"_Not me, but I can see what it was." _Tul answered. _"It looks like a ship, frigate judging by the size. It fired a missile and released some dropships. They're inbound now. It looks like the Blue Suns are scrambling to form a defense."_

"Shit," Will muttered as he motioned for the others to follow him. "Are you alright?"

"_Fine. Things are kind of hectic though, I think a landing party is headed toward me."_

"Alright, stay low and get back to the Kodiak," he ordered. "We're going to do a quick sweep of the operations center."

Shansa interjected before Tul or Eleena could respond. _"Are you crazy? This place is under attack! We need to go!"_

Will stopped at the security door that led into the operations center and shook his head as he looked to the side. "We need to get _something_ out of this mission. Tul, did you get any information?"

"_I copied some data to look through later, but I didn't find anything conclusive," _he answered reluctantly.

Before Will could respond, the security door pinged and slid apart to reveal a pair of Blue Suns soldiers clearly not expecting to see the _Hyperion_ squad. Both sides threw their weapons up into firing position as they recognized the situation.

"They're here!" One of the Blue Suns shouted into his headset. "They're at the operations center! We need backu-"

His voice was drowned out as Ralliston opened fire with his assault rifle, hosing the solider with bullets as Will, T'lees and Welkinn joined in. The two Blue Suns fell in a matter of seconds. In the room beyond them, Will could see at least half a dozen unarmed and unarmored workers running toward a door in the opposite direction of the squad.

Will cursed under his breath and turned. "Shansa's right. We need to exfil. If that transmission went through then we're already going to have to fight our way back."

Tul's voice shouted in his ear. _"We've got unknown hostiles entering the building,"_ he informed the squad. _"Dozens of them. I'm moving to the shuttle bay as fast as I can!"_

"Understood," Will answered as he glanced back into the empty operations center one last time. "We're on our way as well."

He turned himself and ran to the elevator with the others following close behind. As they piled into the car and began descending to their original floor, Ralliston finally lifted his helmet and locked it into place. The squad readied their weapons as the elevator came to a stop. Will narrowed his eyes as the door pinged and slid open to the sight of a full squad of Blue Suns charging down the hall toward them.

"Cover!" Will shouted as he pressed himself to the wall.

Both squads scrambled for what little cover the hallway and elevator afforded. T'lees took refuge in the corner of the elevator beside the door, mirroring Will's position, as Ralliston and Welkinn dropped to their knees and began lining up their shots. Two of the Blue Suns did the same, kneeling on either side of the hallway as the other two dropped to prone at the center. Will was opening his mouth to attempt his plea for them to listen when the enemy squad opened fire. He squinted and squeezed the trigger, spraying bullets down range as they returned the favor. Given the enclosed nature of their position, he was worried about one thing in particular.

"Watch for-"

Before Will could even finish shouting a soldier on the far right of the hall reached to his belt.

"Grenade!" Will exclaimed, skipping the rest of his warning.

The soldier raised his arm as he primed the explosive to throw, only to shriek in pain as a harpoon from Welk's rifle impaled his wrist, slicing through the thinner ballistic cloth that provided coverage between the armor plates on his hand and forearm. The Blue Suns soldier dropped the grenade involuntarily and grabbed the wounded wrist with his other hand as it gushed blood. Before the Blue Suns could scatter from the grenade, a purple orb exploded forth from T'lees's hand and soared into the center of the group. The orb detonated into a biotic singularity, locking three of them in place as the fourth scrambled backward just as the grenade exploded. As the singularity faded, two of the Blue Suns slumped to the ground, dead. The other two had already pulled themselves to their feet and were sprinting back down the hallway. Ralliston's rifle growled as it spit heavy shots at a frightening rate, catching one of the Blue Suns in the leg before the pair cleared a corner and continued running out of sight.

"Good shot," Will commended as he looked back to Welkinn. "Saved our asses."

The batarian stood and nodded solemnly.

"Nice thinking with the quick singularity," Ralliston mentioned to T'lees as he pulled himself up from his knee. "I was about to yell at you for just standing there."

The asari gave him a mischievous grin. "Patience in such circumstances can be rewarding." She lifted her shotgun and looked ahead. "Provided your foe does not kill you quickly, of course."

Will was already stepping out of the elevator as he opened his comm. "Tul, how are things-"

"_A little busy!"_ The quarian interrupted. _"We've got a lot of hostiles fighting the Blue Suns and I'm trying to sneak around a firefight in every damn hallway!"_

"Well, at least they're killing each other," Ralliston said bitterly.

"Alright, just stay safe and get to the shuttle," Will finished as he led the squad past the fallen Blue Suns. "We've already hit opposition as well."

Will made a mental note of the path they would have to take to return to the shuttle bay by recounting the journey up to the operations center. He could already hear the faint and muffled gunfire and explosions from the various firefights that Tul had mentioned. The squad slowed as they came to the first turn and pressed their backs to the wall as Will peered around the corner.

"It's clear," Will said with a sigh of relief. "Come on."

He raised his rifle and rounded the corner with his sights locked on the security door at the end of the hall.

"Through this door, first turn on the right," Will reminded the others.

T'lees stepped up beside him as they approached the end of the hallway. "We are approaching the holding area for the captives, are we not?"

Will came to a stop as they reached the door. "Damn it, you're right." He glanced back to the others. "Okay, we'll clear the cells and extract them with us. We should have plenty of room in the Kodiak."

"They're going to slow us down," Welkinn quickly reminded the group.

"What's the alternative? We're not leaving them here," Will said firmly.

The batarian looked back to the door and readied his rifle without another word as Will turned and raised his hand, tapping the control panel.

"Wait," T'lees cautioned.

Will raised a brow. "What?"

"This door was locked from our side," she stated. "It required a security passcode when we passed through it in the other direction."

Will gave the asari a quizzical look as she reached forward and opened a menu on the door panel, browsing through a few options in the security systems. She grinned, please with herself, as a vid-feed from the other side of the door appeared on the screen. It did not give a full view of the next hallway, but what they could see was a squad of at least a dozen enemy soldiers in black armor. They were tactically positioned around an intersection about ten meters down the hall, the right entrance being the door to the holding area. Heavy gunfire flowed to and from the halls, indicating an intense firefight as the soldiers ducked in and out of cover.

"Shit," Will muttered. "Alright, maybe we can reason with them and pass through."

T'lees gave him a worried look. "I am not sure that is the best idea, Captain."

"I agree," Welkinn said. "An unknown quantity of foes with unknown capabilities." He shook his head. "One doesn't need the Pillars of Wisdom to know it would be an unnecessary risk."

"Fuck that," Ralliston grumbled. "We'll have them flanked with nowhere to run. They'll be down before they even know what hits them."

"But then we will have to deal with whoever theyare engaged with," T'lees countered. "Captain, we should find another way. The prisoners... I do not think we can save them."

He looked back to the screen to see that the squad of unidentified enemies was now pushing into the left-hand side of the hall, having driven back the opposition. However, the other six remained on the right, still engaged with whoever was attempting to maintain control of the holding cells.

"They've split. Their numbers are cut in half and we'll have the positional advantage." Will shook his head and gripped his rifle. "We're going in and we're getting those people out of here."

T'lees stepped to the side and raised her shotgun without objection. Will glanced back to see Welkinn nod in reluctant agreement and ready his weapon as well.

"Don't shoot right away. For all we know they're only here to kill Blue Suns," Will said as he brought his weapon to bear and tapped the controls to open the door.

The _Hyperion_ squad held their weapons up as the door parted. Before Will could even attempt to make verbal contact, however, two of the soldiers caught sight of them and signaled to their allies. The soldiers jumped and turned to fire on the _Hyperion_ squad, assuming that they were hostile.

"Fuck!" Will shouted as he opened fire.

The black armored soldiers were clearly worn from the firefight. Two of them had already lost their shields and fell in a matter of seconds from the combined gunfire of the _Hyperion _squad and the unseen targets they were previously engaged with. The remaining four split their fire between the _Hyperion_ squad and those Will assumed to be Blue Suns that were protecting the holding area. T'lees let out a grunt as she caught one in a biotic stasis, leaving him to be cut down by a precise burst from Will and Ralliston's rifles. Will began a slow walk forward as the remaining two soldiers quickly found themselves overwhelmed by the combined gunfire. The rest of the squad moved with him, quickening their pace as the sixth and final target fell limp. Will ran to the intersection and looked down the hall to the left where the other group of six black-clad soldiers had been alerted to the attack and were now returning. He quickly ordered the door shut and activated the security lock just before his shields flared and died.

"Get down!" Ralliston yelled.

The turian grabbed Will by the shoulder and flung him against the wall and out of the line of fire, but not before a shot pierced his shoulder armor. Will winced and pressed his back to the wall as bullets from the enemy contacts in the holding area poured through door. Ralliston took up position on the opposite side of the doorway and pointed the barrel of his assault rifle into the hall, firing off a few bursts to hold them back.

"Blue Suns," the turian confirmed as he peered into the hall of holding cells. "Four of them. Another five are already dead."

T'lees held up her hand and began summoning a biotic attack. "Allow me to help."

The asari stepped past Will and into the doorway. Her biotic barriers absorbed an influx of gunfire as she unleashed a biotic singularity that soared down the hallway and impacted at the center of the Blue Suns squad. She lifted her shotgun and blasted shots into the group while Ralliston stepped up to her side and did the same with his assault rifle. Will bit his lip to distract himself from the pain of his bleeding shoulder and turned to join them, his M-15 finishing off the final target. Ralliston looked back to the locked door behind them.

"It won't take them long to get through," he advised.

T'lees turned and held up her omnitool to administer a dose of medi-gel to Will's shoulder. "Then we should move quickly."

"Thank you," he said to her as he nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

The four of them proceeded into the next hallway and Ralliston shut the door behind them, locking it with the heaviest security clearance he could find in the system. T'lees and Welkinn stepped ahead and began looking into the cells one by one. T'lees came to a stop in front of one and turned to Will with a frown.

"Captain... the prisoners are gone."

"What?" Will hurried to her side. "Are you sure this is the right cell?"

He looked down the hall to see three cell doors open, including the one in front of them.

"Someone arrived before us," T'lees deduced.

"Damn it!" Will looked back to the others. "We have to find them."

Ralliston shook his head. "Hume, we don't have time! You want to save them, I get it, but we can't risk it when we haven't even saved ourselves yet."

"_Will! What's your status?"_ Eleena's voice sounded through the comm with gunfire crackling in the background.

He glanced between T'lees and Ralliston before opening his mic to answer. "We're about halfway there. Is everything alright?"

"_Blue Suns came in guns blazing,"_ she answered.

There was a loud grunt of exertion as she unleashed what sounded like a devastating biotic shockwave.

"_Shansa and I are trying to hold them off,"_ Eleena continued. _"Left side!"_

Will tried to subdue his worry. "Tul, should be there soon. We're moving as fast as we can."

"_Will, hurry!"_

"Captain, they need us," T'lees pleaded.

"I know." He took a deep breath motioned for the rest of the squad to follow him. "Come on!"

The group hastened their pace to a near-sprint by the time they reached the door on the far end the hallway. They met no resistance breaching the door and hurried to the left and the door that would take them to the final hall before the guest hangar.

"Tul, can you hear me?" Will asked as they came to a stop at the door.

"_Affirmative. I'm back at the hangar with Eleena and Shansa,"_ he answered. _"We're cleaning things up."_

"Tell them to be ready to blast out of here," Will said as he tapped the door controls. "We're just around the corner."

Will held his weapon up at the ready as the door slid apart, only to be greeted by the sight of another group of five black-clad soldiers preparing to breach a door on the opposite side of the hall. The_ Hyperion_ squad took aim and pressed themselves to the walls for stability.

"Drop your weapons!" Will shouted desperately, hoping for once that someone would listen.

The group of soldiers spun in surprise, but a man at the center of the enemy squad raised his hand to order the others to hold their fire.

"Hold it," he stated firmly to his squad. There was a short pause as he looked over the _Hyperion _squad. "They're not with the Blue Suns."

Will nearly laughed in surprise. "N-no! We're not!" He shook his head. "We're just trying to get to our shuttle!"

The commander glanced to the right and read the sign above the door at the end of the hall. "In the visitor's shuttlebay?"

"Yes," Will nodded quickly. "You clearly don't like the Blue Suns and I _assure you_ that we don't either. But this is between you and them. We just want to get out."

"Sounds like bullshit, Commander Stafford," one of the soldiers asserted.

The commander waved a hand. "Easy, Corporal. They're not wearing Blue Suns colors. And they could have cut us down without saying a word."

"_Who the hell is that?"_ Tul asked over the comm as he listened in.

Will didn't respond. He wasn't about to let on that a quarian was eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Please, we just want to get out of here," he reiterated.

Commander Stafford looked to either side to order his soldiers to lower their weapons. Before the words lift his lips, however, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes slightly and turned back to look at Welkinn as the batarian continued to hold his harpoon gun at the ready. Will gripped his rifle slightly tighter as Stafford took a step toward them and tilted his head curiously.

"That's an interesting weapon," the commander said.

Welkinn gave a quick look to Will, but said nothing. Will could feel his heart rate rising.

"Have you had it long?" Stafford asked.

"Many years," Welk replied.

The commander looked down at it and examined the weapon closely for a moment before glancing back up to the batarian. "A Kishock, no?"

Welkinn briefly glanced down to the rifle. He paused for a moment and nodded in affirmation.

Stafford smirked lightly as he looked around the _Hyperion_ squad and then back to the batarian. The commander stared Welkinn down for a few unnerving seconds.

"Have you been to Garvug recently?"

Will froze in place.

"_Run for the shuttle bay in three seconds,"_ Tul's voice said over the squad-wide comm channel.

Will leapt forward and slammed the stock of his rifle into Commander Stafford's chest, causing him to stumble backward. Without warning, the lights around them cut off, diving the hallway into almost complete darkness. Will turned to the left and sprinted toward the softly glowing green door control panel at the end of the hall.

"Come on!" He shouted, hoping desperately that the others had followed Tul's advice and were directly behind him.

Gunshots began illuminating the dark hallway as he closed in on the door. Will could see three shadows trailing behind his as bullets chipped away at their shield and sent sparks flying from the floor and walls. He raised his hand to hit the panel, but just before he reached the door it pinged and slid apart. Tul'Sorrin flickered out of invisibility just on the other side and turned to lead the group in a sprint toward the shuttle. The Kodiak was hovering a few feet above the ground at the center of the docking bay, ready to deliver them from danger. Will nearly tripped over one of the scattered Blue Suns that lay dead on the floor, but caught himself in time and jumped to the floor of the passenger compartment. Eleena pulled him to his knees as the others leapt into the shuttle behind them.

"We're in!" Eleena shouted.

"Hold tight," Shansa called from the cockpit.

Will panted and looked over to Tul. "Was that you with the 'lights out' trick?"

Tul'Sorrin reached down and offered him a hand to help him to his feet. "It's worked in the past."

The shuttle jumped to life as the thrusters began to burn. Will watched as the squad led by Commander Stafford came charging into the shuttle bay just in time to see the Kodiak's hatch slide shut. He grabbed onto one of the handles on the ceiling as the engines roared and pushed the shuttle out into space and away from the torrent of death below.

* * *

"_Sir, we've got a lock on them,"_ Ensign Hwang reported. _"Ready to fire on your command."_

"Do not take that shot," Commander Stafford ordered.

He stared out the atmospheric barrier and watched as the Kodiak faded into the inky black expanse.

"_Sir?"_

"Launch a probe," he said decidedly. "Track them and find out where they're going. If they appear to be moving out of system, move to intercept." He narrowed his eyes. "I want to know who these people are."

"_Understood."_

After staring for nearly a minute, Stafford finally turned from the barrier and waved for the five soldiers who accompanied him to fall in. He felt his restlessness and rage fighting one another to be the first to surface.

"Lieutenant Prior, what's your status?"

"_Our technician is digging into the Blue Suns' logs,"_ the lieutenant replied. _"We've found their operation reports from the past few days."_

"And?" Stafford glanced down at one of the dead Blue Suns.

"_If the records are accurate, it looks like the Blue Suns left Garvug without incident."_ Prior paused for a moment. _"Sir, I don't think they were behind the attack."_

The commander lifted his rifle and continued onward into the hall. "Continue sweeping the facility. Lethal force is still authorized."


	10. Chapter 10

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 10**

_**MSV Hyperion, Micah System**_

"Are you sure they didn't follow us?"

Will finished the question with a grunt of pain as Tul'Sorrin and Eleena unclasped his chestpiece and peeled it from his torso. The armor plating had been keeping pressure on his wounded shoulder and the sudden release felt as though he had been stabbed in the wound. Thankfully, the medi-gel T'lees had applied seemed to have prevented excessive bleeding.

"That ship looked like a military vessel," Tul'Sorrin reminded him. "They probably could have destroyed us with one salvo if they'd wanted to. I'm guessing the Kodiak made it out of range before their scanners could get a lock."

Eleena shook her head as she set the chestpiece on the armory bench. "That sounds like an inherent contradiction. If it was a military vessel with heavy firepower, it would make sense for them to have good tech across the board. The Kodiak isn't a stealth craft. It's not that hard to pick it up with basic scanning equipment."

Tul shrugged and opened the case of medical supplies they had set nearby. "Look, the ship didn't break from its holding pattern, and we made it over the horizon rather quick. We're fine."

The asari gave him an unconvinced look and reached for the gauze before Tul could pick it up. "Will, what do you think?"

He bit his lip and looked down at his wounded shoulder. "We're not dead. That's all I care about. Now can you guys quit arguing and get this thing bandaged up already?"

Eleena sighed and unwound a length of gauze to apply to the wound. Will felt the tension in his body begin to dissipate as her hand came to rest gently on the top of his shoulder blade. Her fingers stretched the bandage into place as Tul ran a thin tube across the ends that applied medical adhesive, keeping the wound dressing in place.

"Alright, looks good," Eleena declared as she crossed her arms and gave him a smile.

Will grunted and rotated his arm to loosen his joints. "Thanks, both of you." He turned to his workbench and began removing the rest of his hardsuit. "Eleena, can you call the crew to the bunkroom in five minutes for debriefing?"

"Sure," the asari answered as she and Tul'Sorrin started on their own post-mission rituals.

The next few minutes were spent carefully removing his armor and setting it aside to examine after their debriefing was finished. Will eyed the chestpiece and let out a small sigh. It would require work by someone in the RMC armory to fix up the structural integrity compromised from the bullet hole. Before long he looked up to see that Tul and Eleena had already left and made their way to the bunkroom, leaving him to pull off his boots as quickly as possible and replace them with their non-combat leather counterparts. He turned and hurried to the forward hall, raising a hand apologetically as he entered the bunkroom to see the rest of the crew waiting for him.

"Sorry, lost track of time there," he said with a small smile.

Tul'Sorrin, Eleena, T'lees and Shansa all stood side-by-side on one end of the table while Ralliston and Welkinn stood a few steps back. Will observed their positions curiously as he stepped up to the table and nodded to Tul.

"What did we get?" He asked anxiously.

The quarian raised his omnitool and entered a few commands to feed data to the display at the center of the table.

"I won't know until I really dig into it, but from a cursory glance it appears to be mostly Blue Suns managerial and fiscal data. Not necessarily helpful." Tul looked around the group. "Well, I should clarify. It is most likely not very helpful in finding out who this mystery group is. The data will probably be very useful intel for the RMC as a whole."

"Well at least there's that," Shansa said with a bittersweet smile.

Will nodded in agreement. "At least. But I do wish we could have gotten those prisoners out of there."

"They weren't prisoners," Eleena corrected him. "They were slaves."

"You're right," Will said as he looked down. "I guess we can take consolation the fact that that place won't be handling any slave trading for a nice while."

Tul'Sorrin cleared his throat. "Right, well, I'll be looking through this data during out flight back to Omega." He closed his omnitool and looked up to Will with a nod. "That's all I've got."

"Thanks, Tul." Will looked around the group. "And by the way, you all did exceptionally well after things went downhill. Ralliston and Welk, you two really proved your worth."

"Didn't realize it needed proving," Ralliston said quietly with a hint of cocky confidence.

Welk bowed his head briefly. "I'm glad to know that I can still handle my rifle adequately." He focused his eyes intently on Will. "What will we do if this data provides no useful intelligence, as you fear?"

"We find another source of data," Tul answered for Will. "It's what we always do."

"You seem pretty confident about that," Ralliston said with a snort of amusement.

"We have not failed yet," T'lees said firmly as she sent a glare to the turian. "There are always more avenues to explore. More advantages to exploit."

Will smiled lightly and nodded. "Relax," he said to Ralliston and Welk. "That mission might not have gone as smooth as we were hoping, yes, but that doesn't mean it was a total loss." Will took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Anyway, good work, everyone. You're dismissed. Rest up before we get to Omega, alright?"

As the crew began to disperse, Will glanced to Ralliston and took a step to stand in his path. The turian, still in his full suit of armor, came to a stop and looked down to Will with unamused eyes.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I'd like to talk with you in private for a moment," Will informed him as the last of the others stepped out of the room.

Ralliston shifted his weight and crossed his arms defensively. "Yeah? What about?"

Will reached back and shut the door. "About how you almost fucked up this entire mission," he said firmly. "What the hell was that?"

The turian gave him a confused look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That shit with Esparza," Will said with an accusatory point of his finger. "Mouthing off about the Blue Suns? Egging him on like that? It could have compromised the entire mission. You're damn lucky something else did it first."

"Lucky, huh?" Ralliston narrowed his eyes. "I didn't have any other options."

Will scoffed and turned to pace back and forth beside the table. "Your _only_ option was to antagonize him?"

The turian let out a frustrated grunt. "Look, I know you're having fun with this Collective, but have you ever been in a gang, Hume? A real gang, like the Blue Suns or even the Blades?"

He came to a stop and stared at the ground for a moment before looking over the Ralliston and shaking his head. "No."

"Then you don't know what it's like trying to get out," the turian said icily.

Ralliston took a step toward Will and tilted his head up to expose the acid-burn on his neck. Will stared at it for a moment then shifted his gaze back to the turian, waiting for him to continue.

"The Blue Suns don't fuck around. This is barely scratches the surface of the shit I still go through for desertion." His words were crisp and harsh, clearly fueled by anger. He tilted his chin down and stared Will in the eyes. "The mission was fucked from the second they pulled out that bio-scanner and discovered my records."

"You could have played it cool," Will countered.

The turian shook his head. "You don't know what that record says, Hume."

"Then why the hell didn't you try to warn me?" He demanded, stepping up to Ralliston challengingly. "You could have mentioned the danger before we left. Or when they said they were bringing us to a secure area. Or when they pulled out the fucking _bio-scanner."_

Ralliston twitched his mandibles idly and averted his eyes as Will stared him down. The two stood in silence for nearly half a minute before Will finally contorted his expression and stepped back. He looked the turian up and down, shaking his head.

"Did you... _want_ this to happen?" Will looked back to Ralliston's face swallowed hard. "Did you just see this as your chance to get in a little revenge on the Blue Suns?"

The turian glanced back to him. "Of course not. I mean, not at first." He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "I didn't _know_ the bio-scanner would pull any records on me. But it was too late to do anything once I realized it was tied to a database." Ralliston shrugged in defeat. "I didn't have time to warn you that things were about to devolve, so I figured that starting the conflict myself would at least give you a chance to prepare yourself. I just didn't want them to have the upper hand. You know, catch you off guard."

Will considered the reasoning for a moment and decided that it was not worth debating at this point. He turned and leaned against the briefing table, placing his hands behind him.

"Yeah. Okay." He lifted a hand over his eyes and sighed. "Fuck. The whole thing had been going _perfectly_ and..." Will dropped his and shook his head. "I guess it doesn't matter now. But next time... let me know what you're doing, okay?"

Ralliston nodded. "If I can, I will."

They stood in silence for a few moments before the turian turned and unlocked the door. He stepped into the hall and turned for the cargo bay, leaving Will in the bunkroom alone. He let his eyes close and dropped his chin slightly. He needed some damned rest.

* * *

Commander Stafford had spent the last hour in a silent rage, wandering the halls of the Blue Suns outpost he and his team had cleared. The vast majority of the Blue Suns personnel were dead, still laying where they had been killed. The only exceptions were a handful of turians and batarians that had unwisely chosen to surrender. He had almost activated his omnitool to write a message to his wife asking if her project was in need of more subjects of the two races. Of course, he caught himself well before doing so. It would take some time for him to get used to her absence. Now he stood in silence, staring at the empty wall of an armory once lined with the guns that dead Blue Suns lay with throughout the halls around him.

"Excuse me, sir," said a voice from behind him.

Stafford looked over his shoulder to see Lieutenant Prior standing in the doorway, holopad in hand. He turned to face his subordinate and nodded. Prior was a good officer. Loyal, confident, and an excellent shot. His fireteam had operated flawlessly during the attack and not reported a single injury.

"Go ahead, lieutenant."

Prior stepped into the room and looked down to his holopad, bringing up a file as he did. "The shuttle was tracked, as per your request, but there were some... developments."

He held out the datapad, which Stafford took and began to read over as the lieutenant summarized the events.

"It didn't appear to be fleeing the system, so we proceeded with the probe."

Stafford looked up and raised a brow. "Were they aware?"

Prior shook his head. "It would have been virtually undetectable, sir."

"Hmm." The commander looked back to the holopad.

"The shuttle entered orbit over Dumah briefly, but then docked with a ship that looked to be in a holding-pattern around the planet," the lieutenant continued. "Soon afterward, however... the ship jumped into FTL."

Stafford nodded, still reading the file. "But..."

"But," Prior said after a small pause, "we were able to get a positive ID on the vessel using what scans the probe was able to make. _MSV Hyperion._ Home port: Omega."

"Are you certain of the identity?" The commander did not doubt him, but he was not intent on wasting time on uncertainty.

"Yes," the lieutenant answered confidently. "On top of the communication signatures indicating the vessel's ID, it also appears to have a rare, but easily identifiable hull silhouette. Only a few ships of her class still operate, and only one with a home berth on this side of the galaxy. Both sides add up."

Stafford took in a deep breath and nodded, holding the datapad back out for Prior to retrieve. "Good. Find them."

"Sir?" Prior asked for clarification as he grabbed and stowed the holopad.

"Find them," the commander reiterated firmly. "Monitor traffic in major ports and find this ship. Get it done, lieutenant."

Prior acknowledged the order and nodded affirmatively. "Of course, sir."

Stafford crossed his arms and watched as Prior left the room without another word. It might take a bit of hunting, but he would find them. He always did.

* * *

"I can't say that's what I was hoping for," Kallux said with a hint of disappointment. "That said..."

Will sat across the table, having just finished his lengthy and detailed summary of the mission to Dumarril. The only sounds in the meeting room were the humming and buzzing noises that could be heard from virtually every street, building, alleyway on Omega. The RMC headquarters itself was responsible for much of the noise. The machinery in the armory, gunfire in the shooting range and electrical systems that kept the facility up and running around the clock reminded him of the noise the _Hyperion_ made while underway. It was comforting at times, and unsettling at others. Will looked to the left and right were Malylen and Orrat sat and stood, respectively, at opposite ends of the table. The salarian held a contemplative finger to her lips as Orrat, the elcor, shifted his weight with care as they all waited for Kallux to finish his thought.

"The data we _did_ get is good," Kallux finally said. "Tul'Sorrin sure knows how to salvage a botched operation."

"And thank god for that," Will agreed. He sat forward, relieved that Kallux was not entirely upset. "Anything that helps us against the Blue Suns is good in my book."

"I agree," Malylen said. "In fact, I believe we should considering initiating similar operations in the future."

Orrat lifted his heavy head. "Curiously: Please elaborate, Malylen."

The salarian motioned to Will. "Captain Hume's crew seemed to perform their espionage fairly well with significant results. It may prove useful to expand our spy network from the bare-minimum state it is in currently."

"Significant results?" Will sighed. "It may have yielded results, sure, but we didn't get what we actually wanted."

Kallux nodded. "Hume's right." He looked over to Malylen. "We can discuss expanding our efforts in espionage later, but right now our focus should be this group we still know very little about."

"We know a bit more than before," Will corrected. "These guys are good. They were tearing through Blue Suns left and right. On top of that, they look well equipped... their weapons and armor were cutting edge."

He activated his omnitool and brought up an image automatically captured by his helmet cam while they were face-to-face with the enemy squad. He transferred the image to the large screens on either side of the room.

"That one in the center was the squad leader, I think," Will informed them. "'Commander Stafford,' one of the others called him."

The four of them examined the image carefully for a few moments until Orrat turned to look at Will and tilted his head slightly.

"Inquisitively: Captain, has your intelligence officer examined this image yet?" The elcor asked.

Will shook his head. "Well, he's not exactly my 'intelligence officer,' but no. Tul is still parsing through the data he pulled from their networks."

"Excitedly: Then you have not researched the emblem?" Orrat said flatly.

Will gave him a bewildered look at the glanced back to the screen. "Emblem?" He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, that?"

He reached down to his omnitool and zoomed in on a small logo located on the shoulder of Stafford's armor. It was no more than a half an inch tall, and consisted of an orange, elongated hexagon flanked on either side by two lines.

"I figured that was the armor manufacturer's logo," Will said with a shrug.

Malylen stood and walked over to the screen for a closer look. "You what? Why would you assume that?"

"I'm not the analyst on our team," Will answered as he looked back to Orrat. "I guess I'll send it to Tul as a high priority item."

"Worriedly: That won't be necessary," the elcor answered in his monotone, awkwardly-paced voice. "The emblem on that soldier's armor belongs to an organization known as Cerberus."

Will shook his head. "Never heard of them."

"And I only know the name in passing," Kallux muttered as he continued to stare the image over.

"If I recall correctly, they are pro-human extremists," Malylen mentioned.

"Informatively: You are correct, Malylen. To those outside the organization, their origins are unknown. They are known for their secrecy, political machinations, and their brutal means to achieve equally brutal ends," Orrat explained. "And they are incredibly dangerous."

Will frowned and looked back to the picture as the others did the same. The four of them remained quiet for a good minute or two before Kallux spoke.

"And how much do we know about their operations in the Terminus Systems?" The krogan asked.

"Reluctantly: Virtually nothing, I am afraid," the elcor answered.

Malylen looked around the table. "We should open a priority directive to seek out any known information on this group. If they are as dangerous as you claim, Orrat, we should take caution before involving the RMC as a whole. For now, I think Captain Hume's crew should continue their investigation while upholding the guise of being unassociated with the Collective."

"What do you think, Hume?" Kallux finally looked away from the image to where Will sat.

Will was staring at the table between them, his eyes fixed intently on nothing in particular. While he didn't think continuing espionage was the wisest choice for the crew, he did want to know more about Cerberus. He took in a deep breath and looked up to Kallux with a firm nod.

"We'll do it," he said decidedly. "But we need a lead."

"I'll make it our top priority," Kallux assured him. "For now, take a day or two off. I'm sure we'll be able to dig up something by then." The krogan cleared his throat. "Now, since everyone is here, we should discuss the budget plans I put together."

As Malylen returned to her seat and brought up the relevant files, Will let himself zone out and return to staring at the table. This "Cerberus" group was fascinating in terms of what they appeared to have at their disposal. Research stations, sophisticated military technology, plenty of soldiers. For a moment he felt fear encroaching, until he remembered that they had handled Sommesh just fine. He smirked and sat back in the chair. What was one more secretive, militaristic group to the crew of the _Hyperion_?


	11. Chapter 11

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 11**

_**Apartment 17-6, Tilno District 600 Block, Omega**_

"You have got to expand your liquor collection," Tul'Sorrin scolded.

Will glanced over his shoulder to the kitchen of his apartment and laughed. "My liquor collection is just fine. Maybe you should expand your list of consumable proteins."

Shansa giggled from the nearby couch and took another sip of her wine. "Come on, Will... that's not very nice."

He grinned and leaned back against the living room mantle. "There should be some turian brandy in there somewhere," he conceded to Tul.

"It's behind the wine," Eleena added as she leaned back on the couch beside Shansa.

The quarian pulled a cylindrical glass bottle from the back of the kitchen cabinet. "I suppose this will do."

Will looked back to the living area and smiled as he sipped on his whiskey. It had taken more than a little convincing to force Tul'Sorrin away from his ten hour research binge on Cerberus, but Shansa and Eleena had jumped at the chance to have a drink and relax for the evening. T'lees had declined the invitation for undisclosed reasons, but Will wasn't bothered. The more low-key the evening, the better. His apartment was also not huge by any means, and four felt like a good number for now.

"So I've gotta ask," Eleena said curiously. "How were Welk and Ralliston in a fight as compared to the normal gang?"

"You mean compared to you and Tul?" Will shrugged. "Fine, I guess. They definitely knew their way around a firefight. And it was nice having another rifleman."

"I saw some of the shots he made while I was reviewing combat footage," Tul'Sorrin added as he joined them from the kitchen. "Welkinn is definitely as good of a shot as he claims."

Will nodded in agreement. "Now we just have to find out if we can trust them with an assignment like this."

Shansa sipped from her wine glass. "Did we find anything else about these people? Cerberus?"

"Mostly rumors," Tul'Sorrin answered as he sat down on the chair adjacent to the couch. "Some really crazy ones, too. Some people think they're a black ops organization for... someone. Others are convinced they work for the Shadow Broker."

"Shadow Broker?" Shansa asked with a furrowed brow.

"An information dealer," Eleena explained as she downed the last of her drink. "If there's a secret in the galaxy, chances are the Shadow Broker knows more about it than the people responsible."

Will snorted. "Sounds a little hyperbolic."

"Less so than you might think," Tul'Sorrin said as he sat back comfortably. "There's a reason why even the best intelligence agencies have to rely on the Broker for information from time to time."

"But, like you said, that's just a _rumor _about Cerberus? Right?" Shansa asked worriedly.

"Completely unsubstantiated," Tul confirmed reassuringly. "Just about the only thing I _can_ confirm about them is that they like to operate in secrecy."

"I could have told you that," Eleena said with a smirk.

Tul'Sorrin nodded. "And it actually may benefit us. Apparently Cerberus rarely shows itself in the civilized systems, at least in large numbers. I couldn't find any reports of Cerberus activity on Omega."

"It sounds like they're small," Will reasoned. "Too small to effectively combat the bulk of the big three gangs."

"Or they don't want to," Eleena reminded him.

Will shrugged. "That too."

A moment of silence fell over them as their minds wandered over the situation. After a few seconds, Will cleared his throat and looked over to Tul.

"So, Tul, how about that vid?"

The quarian jumped up. "Right, of course!" He activated his omnitool and walked to wallscreen.

"What are we watching?" Eleena asked as she looked around the room.

"_After Lindsay,_" Shansa answered excitedly. "It's an old human romance from the 2050's."

"A romance?" Will asked with a sigh.

"It's not just gooey stuff!" She argued. "It's funny too! And the characters are lovely!"

Eleena gave her a cautious look. "I'm not sold. But I'll give it a shot if _you_ really like it." She stood and sauntered toward the kitchen, glass in hand. "And I'm not sitting through this without a few more drinks in me."

Will gulped down the last of this whiskey and hurried after her. "I'll second that motion."

* * *

In truth, Will actually enjoyed the vid despite his preconceptions. After the viewing, the four of them had reluctantly decided to call it quits for the night and retire to their beds. Tul and Shansa hailed a cab and returned to the ship while Eleena and Will remained at the apartment and soon found themselves tumbling beneath their sheets. An exquisite hour later, after their rowdy and slightly inebriated bonding had finally concluded, the couple allowed themselves to drift into a deep sleep. It wasn't until three or four hours later that Eleena rustled from her slumber and sat up, forcing her eyes to open. The windows were faded to keep out the ever-shining ambient light of Omega, and the walls designed to dampen noise. Yet something had awoken her.

The asari lifted a hand and rubbed her eye, still searching for total consciousness. Eleena glanced over to see Will laying perfectly still save for the gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. She smiled softly and prepared to situate herself back under the covers when a brief, gentle ticking noise sounded from living room. Eleena looked ahead to the open door that led to the living room and squinted, hoping that her eyes would adjust to the light as she slid from the bed and took a step forward. She adjusted the light, loose shirt she had fallen asleep in to center it on her shoulders as she approached the door, reaching her hand to place it on the frame. The asari came to a stop and stared into the room, waiting for the silence to break. She stood for nearly a minute before the tick finally returned, only to be replaced by the gentle hum and ping of the front door opening on the far side of the room. She braced herself as the door parted to reveal a pair of dark figures silhouetted by the dim light of the hallway outside.

"Will!"

She reached for the desk to her right as she shouted, grabbing the Carnifex that lay on its side and bringing it to bear on the pair of shadows in the doorway.

"Drop it!" One of the shadowy figures shouted.

Eleena bolstered her biotic barrier with all her might and fired off a pair of shots from the heavy pistol, chipping away at the shields of the first target. Will had stirred at upon hearing his name, but the gunshot sent him bolting up and out of bed. The two figures in the living room ducked and moved for cover as their weapons ignited, sending shots toward Eleena as she strafed to the side and out of the doorway. Her barriers absorbed the shots, but they would not hold for more than a few seconds. She slammed her hand on the locking mechanism to shut the door with the security systems enabled.

Will stumbled up to her. "What-"

"Break in," she panted, her body aching from the intense, unexpected biotic exertion. "The armor... it was Cerberus."

"Fuck." Will shook his head. "We need to call-"

"No time!" Eleena interrupted as she handed the pistol off to him. "They'll override the door and get in."

She spun and ran to the floor-to-ceiling bedroom window, biotics swirling around her fists. Will looked down to see he was wearing a pair of shorts and considered grabbing for a nearby shirt when the door began ticking. The security panel began blinking orange, indicating a pending hack.

"They're getting through!"

Will turned and held his pistol on the door as Eleena let a guttural roar as she called on the powerful biotics she had not prepared to execute and slammed her fists into the window. The reinforced glass pane wavered and splintered, but held. She stumbled backward and called up yet another surge before bracing herself and leaping into the glass once again, this time with enough force to shatter the pane in an intense biotic explosion. Will snapped his head back just in time to see her tumble through the raining glass shards and out of the building.

"Eleena!"

He dashed to the window with his pistol still pointed toward the door and leaned out to see the asari dangling from an awning a story below.

"Eleena!" He shouted again. "Hold on!"

She looked up and gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up onto the slanted awning that extended just a few feet out from the side of the building.

"Jump," she called weakly.

Will hesitated and looked back to the door just in time to see it sliding open. The pair of armed intruders stepped through with their guns raised and turned to lock their sights on him, but were too late. Will jumped from the window, bracing himself for the hard impact on the awning below. He shouted in pain as he landed a few feet from Eleena, his forearm impacting directly on a shard of glass that punctured his skin and sent blood pouring from the wound. His Carnifex slipped from his hand upon impact and bounced once before sailing over the edge and down hundreds of feet to the streets below. The asari reached for him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, helping him to his feet as the instinctive urge to flee took over. The pair hugged the side of the building for a dozen feet until they came to the end of the awning and were faced with a drop to a balcony two levels below.

"Hold on," Eleena panted as she extended her arm. "And trust me."

He reached toward her with his uninjured arm and grabbed her forearm as she grasped his. Eleena stared down at the balcony and prepared to jump as Will stepped up to her side and mimicked her stance. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leapt forward. He watched and moved with her, allowing them to jump in perfect tandem. A weak biotic halo materialized around Eleena as they descended, rapidly slowing their fall. It only lasted a moment before her strength gave out, causing the halo to fade and leaving them to drop the remaining couple of feet uninhibited. Will grunted as they landed on the balcony just a foot from the railing and a sheer drop hundreds of feet to the base of the station.

"Eleena... are you okay?" Will pulled himself to his knees.

The asari nodded weakly and attempted to push herself up.

"Down there!" A voice shouted from behind them.

Will glanced over his shoulder to see the two Cerberus soldiers leaning through the shattered window of his apartment and taking aim on them. He looked ahead and jumped for the only thing within arm's reach: a metal patio table. Will grabbed onto the table and let out a deep grunt as he dragged the table just far enough to clear Eleena as she lay on the ground and gave a heavy push as Cerberus opened fire. There was an unsettling yelp from Eleena as the table flipped onto its side, the single supporting pole underneath causing it to lay at an angle that would block the soldier's line-of-sight. Will dove into cover as bullets impacted around them and looked to the asari, pulling her close to ensure that she was adequately protected.

He watched as Eleena grasped at her head and his eyes widened in terror as he saw a small trail of blood forming beneath her. "El! _F__uck!_"

The asari clenched her teeth and rolled her head to the side to show him the wound. "I'm okay," she assured him, still short of breath.

The bullet had just barely grazed the fringe of her scalp. A moment later, the gunfire ceased.

"Are... they gone..?" Eleena managed to mutter.

Will peered his eye over the edge of the table and looked up to the now empty window. "Yes," he answered, trying to catch his breath. "But they're probably coming down to this floor."

The asari let out a small groan and forced herself into a sitting position with her back leaning against the underside of the flipped table.

"We need... we need to keep moving," she managed to say while opening her eyes.

Will nodded in agreement. "Are you okay? Can you still move?"

Eleena drew in a deep breath and pulled her hand down from her scalp to stare at the blood for a second. Will jumped up and offered his hand to her, which she reluctantly grasped and pulled herself up with. She held her hands out in either direction to balance herself and shook her head.

"Alright, alright, I can do this," she said with determination. "Let's go."

"We need to get to the street," Will said decidedly as he turned for the door.

"No, they'll be coming that way," Eleena objected as she limped toward the far end of the balcony.

He decided not to object, and instead forced the lock on the door before turning and hurrying after her. "Then where-"

She had already come to a stop at the edge and was staring down. "Here," she interrupted.

Will placed his hands on the railing and leaned over the edge of the balcony. "Oh god."

Eleena was looking to the small maintenance cart connected to a rail that ran from the base of the building all the way to the top. The cart, clearly designed for only one occupant, was about ten feet vertically and nearly as far horizontally from the balcony, parked and inactive. Will wiped away the few beads of sweat that had been forming on his forehead and glanced over to Eleena.

"I don't see any other options," the asari muttered regrettably.

Will looked back down. "Your biotics?"

"I... I don't think I can," Eleena answered, her voice tinted with shame.

"Alright, no problem," he assured her. "It's just a jump. We've made bigger jumps before. On low-grav planets... with our hardsuits..."

The door behind them buzzed, causing them both to look back in surprise. It had rejected the request to open, meaning that in a matter of seconds the soldiers would begin hacking their way through. Eleena reached down to the bottom of her shirt, gripped firmly and ripped a sizable strip from the area that covered her side and midriff. She quickly folded it over three or four times, stretched it between her fists, and held it up to his mouth.

"Bite down," she told him. "It's going to hurt but you'll have to get a good grip on that cart."

He gave her a look of confusion which was met by a motion toward his still heavily bleeding arm, then down to the maintenance cart below. Will quickly nodded in understanding and bit down onto the cloth, allowing her to turn and climb over the railing. Eleena gripped the railing firmly as she found her footing before releasing and pushing off hard to ensure that she would clear the jump. Will's heart skipped a beat as she fell for what seemed like an eternity before clattering against the cage that surrounded the small maintenance cart and catching herself with both hands firmly grasped onto salvation. With a significant amount of visible effort, Eleena pulled herself into the cart and looked up to see Will climbing over the railing and preparing to jump after her.

The door buzzed again. The hack had failed, but this was a standard security door and it would not pose much of a challenge on the second attempt. Will stared down as Eleena looked up to him, their eyes locked, and he swallowed hard. He bit down as hard as he could on the cloth as he leapt forward and threw his arms into a position to grasp the cage while Eleena watched with frightful eyes. It struck him as unnatural the way free-falling created a minor "breeze" across his body. Wind was not something he was used to on Omega. His chest slammed into the cage as his hands did, grasping desperately for purchase. Pain ripped through the bleeding wound and throughout his injured arm, but he ignored the sensation and gripped tighter. It was not enough. The blood that had coated his arm and hand caused the metal bars to slip through his fingers, leaving only his left hand to hold onto the cage. His body whipped violently to a stop as his left hand felt the full weight of his being pulled him toward the artificial gravity of the station. Will looked up to call for help, but before he could open his mouth to spit out the cloth he felt Eleena's hands grasp onto his forearm.

"You're not getting away that easily," she quipped while managing a small grin.

She reached back with one hand and activated the cart to send it toward the ground. Once again the unnatural feeling of wind began gusting around him as they sped downward, Eleena staring him down and grasping his arm tightly as they descended. Will looked over his shoulder to see the street below rapidly approaching, only to stop as Eleena reached to the controls once again to stop their them just a few meters above the ground.

"Thank you," he said wearily.

She snorted and released her grip from his arm, "Don't ever thank me for saving your life." Eleena watched as he released the cage and dropped the remaining few feet to the ground. "Saying thanks implies that I would have even considered the alternative." She gave him a relieved smirk as she finally began to catch her breath.

Eleena slid over the circular railing of the cart and dropped down beside him with a sigh. Without thinking, Will grasped her by the cheeks and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss that was held for far too long given the still looming threat of Cerberus assassins. They gasped for breath as the kiss broke and looked around to see a half dozen or so pedestrians staring at them judgmentally as they walked past the pair.

"Skycar," Eleena said firmly.

They hurried into the street hand-in-hand in the direction of the closest taxi terminal. Some of the Omega citizens they passed stared in shock as the half-naked, bloodied human and asari dodged through foot traffic. Others appeared completely unfazed. Will looked down to his wrist and let out a sigh of relief to see he was still wearing his omnitool bracelet. He reached down and quickly began typing a message.

_Everyone get to the ship immediately. Equip yourselves for combat and stay alert. Be prepared to be targeted by hostile activity. THIS IS TOP PRORITY._

Will immediately sent the message out to Shansa, Tul and T'lees with an alert flag. He debated with himself for a short moment before sending the message to Ralliston and Welkinn as well. Eleena halted them at the taxi terminal and turned to look at him with exhausted eyes.

"Thirty seconds," she told him.

He turned and scanned the crowd behind them, forcing his tired eyes to focus. Eleena placed her hand on a nearby railing and drew in a few deep, slow breaths, trying her best to find her center. Will glanced over and watched as a serene expression slowly spread across her face just before the cab zipped out of the traffic above and landed on the pad nearby.

"Come on," Will said softly as he grasped her hand.

Eleena opened her eyes, full of rejuvenation and determination. "Right behind you."

They jumped into the skycar and tapped in their destination as Will tried his best not to bleed on the upholstery of the seats. He nearly jumped from his seat when a buzz rang out from his omnitool.

"Yeah?" He asked while tapping a button on the tool.

Tul's voice emanated from the tiny speaker on the omnitool bracelet. _"Captain, what's going on?"_

"We were attacked," Will answered. "Two people broke into my apartment. It was dark, but judging by their equipment I'd guess they were Cerberus. And since you're talking to me, unaware of this, I'll assume they haven't reached you yet."

"_No, we're fine. Damn it, I'll wake Shansa. Are the others..?"_

"I let them know," he answered. "For now, check the security system and make sure we haven't been compromised."

"_Understood, Captain. I'll monitor the loading bay security feeds as well."_

Will looked down to the auto-travel screen. "We're landing in about five minutes. Should be at the ship in no more than ten."

"_Stay safe,"_ the quarian ordered.

"I think safe is pretty relative now."

* * *

Will and Eleena darted through the reinforced door of the _Hyperion's _private loading bay and locked the door behind them.

"Goddess!" Exclaimed a familiar voice. "What happened?"

The couple trotted across the room toward the airlock where T'lees was waiting for the door to unseal and open. The asari was still dressed in a long evening gown, indicating she had only just arrived from wherever she had been when Will sent out his urgent message. She turned and held out a comforting hand as they approached, taking Will's wounded arm in her stabilizing grasp.

"I'll explain when everyone is here," Will answered, wincing at the pain in his arm. "Careful... it's tender."

The three of them stepped forward and into the airlock. They waited in silence as the decontamination sequence initiated and gave them a displeased alert regarding the discharge of bodily fluids inside the chamber. As the inner doors opened they jumped back and threw up their hands as the barrels of two guns greeted them. Tul'Sorrin held his pistol while Shansa (in proper stance, as Will was quick to notice) aimed down the sights of what looked like a relatively new assault rifle. The quarian lowered his weapon after only a second, seeing that the security cameras had indeed shown him the correct three people entering the ship.

"Sorry, had to be careful," Tul said as he holstered his pistol and looked Will and Eleena over. "I've already filled Shansa in on the situation."

Shansa gasped softly as she saw them. "Oh god... how badly are you hurt?"

"It's nothing. I need to suit up," Eleena said firmly as she stepped past them and ran for the armory.

Tul activated his omnitool and applied a generous dose of medi-gel to Will's bleeding arm as Shansa lowered her rifle and looked him up and down with concerned eyes.

"Will..?" She trailed off worriedly.

He waved a hand dismissively and hurried after Eleena. "We're okay. At least physically."

Tul, Shansa and T'lees chased after Will as he darted toward his workbench. He threw open the locker and began strapping on pieces of armor as rapidly as possible.

"I told Welkinn and Ralliston to return to the ship," he said while strapping on his chestpiece. "I think we're all in trouble."

T'lees stepped up to her locker and deftly unbound her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she reached for her armor in nothing but undergarments.

"'All' being who, exactly?" She inquired as she stepped into her leggings.

Will paused briefly before activating his omnitool and tabbing through a few pages. "No reports from the RMC networks." He glanced over to the others. "I think they wanted _us_ dead," he said with a hint of worry.

Eleena slid on her boots and let out a small but weak laugh. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"We should send a message to Kallux," Shansa suggested. "The RMC-"

"Is not getting involved," Will interrupted. "Kallux and I already decided it was too dangerous to go hot against them. We don't know what they're capable of."

"Then what are _we_ supposed to do if it's too dangerous for the whole Collective to get involved?" She asked with an exasperated sigh.

Will slid on his gloves and exhaled deeply. "Prep the ship for departure. I want to be off of Omega and ready for FTL in five minutes."

Shansa nodded affirmatively. "If you say so."

She turned and ran off toward the cockpit with Tul'Sorrin following close behind. T'lees watched them go before looking back to Will and Eleena with a frown.

"I am still waiting for an explanation," she reminded them.

"It's Cerberus," Will finally answered. "They tried to kill us." He glanced over to Eleena. "You were already holding them off when I woke up... how did you know?"

Eleena shook her head and strapped on the last piece of her armor. "I heard something from the front door." She shrugged. "Guess being a light sleeper can have its benefits."

"Thank the goddess you are," T'lees added as she grabbed her shotgun and turned to face them with her hardsuit fully donned. "How did you escape?"

"Narrowly," Will replied as he locked his boots into place, completing his set. "I'll give you the full story later. For now, we need to-"

"_We've got someone attempting to enter the docking bay,"_ Tul's voice interrupted from the ship's comm. _"Couldn't tell you who, though. We have no cameras on the street side."_

"It's probably Welk or Ralliston," Will said as he retrieved his rifle and jogged toward the forward hall.

Eleena and T'lees ran after him, armed and ready to repel anyone in the case that it was not the batarian or turian they were expecting. The three of them passed through the airlock and readied their weapons as they entered the private docking bay. Will led trio with Eleena and T'lees on either flank, readying their biotics as they approached the door that opened up to the street. He reached forward and tapped the security panel, unlocking it and allowing it to open. He let out a sigh of relief to see the two people he had hoped for on the other side.

"Good thing I look before I shoot," Ralliston muttered as he was met by the barrels of three guns.

Will lowered his rifle immediately. "Inside. Hurry."

The turian stowed his own weapon on his back and slipped into the room with Welkinn passing through the door after him. Will shut and locked the door before turning and walking toward the _Hyperion_ airlock.

"Want to explain what the hell is going?" Ralliston asked with more than a hint of irritation.

"We were attacked," Will answered. "Omega's not safe right now."

"Is it ever?" Welkinn asked.

Will wasn't quite sure if the batarian was being serious or not. "_More_ unsafe than usual," he clarified.

The ship's hatch opened and he waved everyone inside. As the decontamination sequence began, Eleena slid her SMG into its holster on her back and looked around the group.

"What's our plan?" Eleena asked.

The doors opened and the group stepped into the hall as Will stared down and thought over their options. He slid his weapon onto his back and turned to walk to the cockpit, the others following in tow. Will activated his omnitool and shook his head. No reports of attacks on RMC members in the past few hours.

"I think we should lay low," he answered. "Give the RMC time to find some information on Cerberus and, if we can act on it, a lead."

"Lay low where?" Ralliston asked. "I've got things to do here on Omega."

Will came to a stop at the cockpit door and looked back to him. "If you'd like to stay here with the Cerberus assassins, by all means, you're welcome to it."

The turian's mandibles twitched as he considered the offer.

"Are we ready to launch?" Will turned back to the cockpit door and looked through to Shansa.

"Yes, just waiting for permission from the flight control officer," she answered.

"Good." He turned back to face the rest of the crew and eyed Ralliston. "Well?"

"Well, I could probably be a help if they give chase," the turian answered. "But I want hazard pay for this."

Tul looked over his shoulder from the copilot's seat. "Glad to see you've got your priorities straight," he mocked dryly.

"We're launching," Shansa announced. "Where am I taking us?"

"Anywhere that's not here," Will said as he leaned his back against the wall. "We'll nail down the specifics later."


	12. Chapter 12

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 12**

_**Red Moon Collective Headquarters, Tilno District, Omega**_

Kallux closed his eyes and leaned forward, placing his palm across his forehead with his elbow planted firmly on his desk to support it. After a minute or two of sitting in silence he opened his eyes, let out a sigh and glanced over to the holographic clock on his desk. Five straight hours of reviewing officer candidates was beginning to take its toll on him. Out of curiosity he tapped his terminal monitor and opened up the active operations tracker in hopes of finding something that could use some support from him and his cannon. Nothing was scheduled for at least six hours. He sighed again and decided it was finally time to retire for the evening as he reached for the power button on his terminal. Just before initializing the shutdown a message alert appeared in the corner of his screen with a blue denotation: an encrypted delivery. Kallux tapped on the message and waited for a second as the decryption algorithm processed the request and dumped out a readable product.

_We were attacked by Cerberus one hour ago. Ship has launched and we are going dark._

_-H_

H? Ah, Hume, Kallux reasoned. He narrowed his brow in confusion.

"That's it?" He muttered quietly. "Nothing else?"

The krogan opened up the Collective's battle network once again and looked through the reports. One skirmish with Blades remnants about three hours ago, but nothing since. He tapped his omnitool and sent out a comm request. A few seconds later he got a response.

"_Yes?"_

"Malylen, are you alright? Any unusual activity?" Kallux asked in an inquisitive tone that masked any concern.

"_No, nothing unusual. Why, what is the problem?"_

"No problem," the krogan assured her. "What have you been doing the past few hours?"

"_I was at my apartment until about twenty minutes ago. Now I am down in the market."_ The salarian let out a sigh. _"Kallux, is there or is there not an issue?"_

Kallux paused for a brief moment. "No. Everything is normal. Thanks."

"_Alright..."_

He shut the link and sent out a second request.

"_Surprised: Kallux. I was not expecting a call from you at this time."_ Orrat said flatly.

"Just wanted to ask what your situation was," Kallux mentioned casually.

"_Confused: All is well. I am enjoying a meal at one of my favorite stalls. Suspiciously: Why do you ask?"_

"Just wondering. Nothing important," Kallux lied. "Have a good evening, Orrat."

He sent out one last request, this one to Will, and waited for a few moments before an error message was returned.

"_This ID is unavailable,"_ the automated voice informed him. _"Please attempt to connect at a later time."_

No reports of disturbances within the RMC. The other members of the Advisory Circle did not seem to have been disturbed. Kallux shook his head and leaned back in his chair. If they were lucky, Cerberus was not aware of the _Hyperion_ crew's connection with the RMC. The krogan took a deep breath and shut down his terminal for the time being. Hopefully the intelligence unit would turn up some useful information soon. And hopefully the _Hyperion_ would return soon enough to use it.

* * *

"Looks like you got off easy," Eleena declared as she inspected the med-scanner closely. "Doesn't look broken."

"Somehow I'm not convinced," Will grumbled irritably as he looked at his bloodied arm. "It hurts like hell."

The asari shifted her eyes to him and smirked. "I wouldn't complain considering the alternatives."

"Being shot to death or falling dozens of stories," Ralliston recalled. "They do seem like the slightly worse options."

Will had finished recounting their escape to the rest of the crew while Eleena investigated his wounded arm and prepared a set of bandages. The others stood in a semi-circle around them in the bunkroom as Shansa listened in on the comm system while preparing their jump to FTL.

"How did they find you?" T'lees asked worriedly. "What if they attack the rest of the Collective?"

"There's nothing tying us to the RMC," Will answered. "At least... not to my knowledge."

Tul glanced over to the asari. "And as for how they found us? They didn't actually find _us. _They found Captain Hume." He activated his omnitool. "Apparently someone requested information on the _Hyperion_ from the Omega Port Authority. I tunneled into their system and it looks like Cerberus pulled Captain Hume's name and address from their records."

"That information is not confidential?" Welkinn asked with a hint of bewilderment.

"Nothing's confidential on Omega," Ralliston said with an amused chuckle. "Not when you've got a few hundred credits to put toward your inquiry."

T'lees crossed her arms and cocked her hips to the side. "So what is our plan?"

The crew looked to Will expectantly.

He took a deep breath and shrugged. "We'll head back to Omega in a few weeks. Hopefully by then they'll have found something useful on Cerberus and we can decide how we're going to deal with them. I'll ghost into the RMC network every six or eight hours just to be sure Cerberus isn't causing trouble with them. My signal shouldn't leave a trace that way."

"_We've cleared the asteroid field,"_ Shansa announced. _"I'm going to set us on course to the closest relay while we figure out where we're going."_

Will looked up. "Alright, jump whenever you're ready."

"_Everyone hold tight... and... we're good."_ Shansa paused for a moment as she looked over her instruments. _"Looks green across the board. On my way back to you guys."_

"So, where _are_ we going?" Tul asked as he leaned back against the table at the center of the room.

Will winced as Eleena began wrapping a bandage around his arm. "Good question. At this point I think we've got two options: orbit a moon on some backwater planet or find a nice quiet port to dock in."

"The former might be problematic," Shansa asserted as she sauntered into the room. "We've only got enough food and fresh water on board for maybe five days." She came to a stop among the others and crossed her arms. "Our restocking was scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"So we find a port," Ralliston continued.

The group fell silent as Eleena finished tightening the bandage on Will's arm and applied the adhesive. She ran her fingers gently through his hair and gave him a small smile.

"It's going to hurt for a few days."

Will laughed. "I'm not a doctor, but I pretty much assumed that much." He stood with a small groan and grabbed his shirt from the bed. "So we find a port," he repeated.

"Once again, I'm going to need something slightly more specific than _anywhere_ before I set a course," Shansa reminded them.

"I'm open to suggestions," Will said while sliding his shirt on.

The crew shifted to circle around the conference table as they considered all the possible destinations. Eleena activated her omnitool and accessed the holoprojector to make the image of an unfamiliar garden world appear. The asari stepped back and crossed her arms, nodding toward the image.

"Cyone. Born and raised there, so I know it pretty well." Eleena looked around the group. "It's one of the biggest fueling depots for the asari fleet, so they keep security tight. No chance of a Cerberus frigate trying to fuck with us if we head there."

"I like it," Will answered as he eyed the image. "As long as a berth isn't too expensive."

Tul cleared his throat. "I hate to shoot down your suggestion, Eleena, but Cyone might not be a wise choice."

Will and Eleena gave him a curious look, which was met by a motion toward T'lees. The asari frowned and shifted her gaze downward as the others looked to her.

"Tul'Sorrin speaks the truth. I am sure that the asari government still wishes to apprehend me," T'lees said quietly. "I cannot imagine that the commandos you saved me from on Altakiril did not pass along the _Hyperion's _name to their intelligence network."

Ralliston looked around the circle. "Commandos on Altakiril? What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"That's a long story for another time," Tul'Sorrin answered with a small laugh. "I think Cyone is out of the picture. For all we know the ship could be marked as 'destroy on sight' in asari space."

"Good points." Will gave a reluctant nod. "Sorry, El. Cyone isn't going to work."

The asari shrugged. "Anyone else?"

"Lorek," declared Welkinn. "We must travel to Lorek. I will commune with the Pillars in my old temple. They will provide the guidance we seek and the town will serve as a place to hide."

"Uggh, Lorek. We just can't get away from that place," Eleena commented.

"My temple is in a small town." Welk shifted his eyes around the table. "They are self-sustained and have little communication with those outside the community."

Ralliston gave him an unconvinced look. "But can we _trust_ this community?"

"I was their Cleric for years," the batarian reasoned. "They will welcome us with open arms."

T'lees smirked softly. "I would not mind a warm reception for once."

"Lorek also means we wouldn't have to hit a mass relay," Shansa reminded them. "You know, just in case Cerberus is monitoring them."

Will looked to her and nodded. "Lorek it is. At least for the time being. If it doesn't work out, we can always just resupply there and continue on to another colony. Set a course ASAP." He turned back to the others. "Everyone else, take the next few hours for yourselves."

While the crew began to file out of the room, Tul'Sorrin remained. Will turned to face him and looked the quarian up and down.

"Doing okay, Tul?"

"Yes, Captain, of course." Tul'Sorrin walked around the table to him. "I was wondering if you'd like me to compile the information I've been able to obtain on Cerberus. A lot of it sounds like rumors, so I've sorted it in terms of credibility and likelihood of truthfulness so tha-"

"Woah, Tul, slow down," Will laughed as he put a hand on his shoulder. "You sound exhausted. When was the last time you slept?"

The quarian put his hand on the back of his neck bashfully. "I.. uh, I'm not sure. That little get together at your place set me back a few hours, so I had to catch up on what I was hoping to sort through."

Will pulled his hand back and crossed his arms. "Tul, take a break. You're going to burn yourself out."

"Captain, this is important," he protested.

"It's always important, Tul," Will chuckled. "Well, sometimes it isn't. But just because this is important doesn't mean you need to work yourself to death over it."

The quarian turned and leaned against the table with a sigh. Will could see faintly through Tul's visor that his eyes had closed for a long moment.

"I've been trying to keep my mind from wandering," Tul'Sorrin said quietly.

Will's brow furrowed lightly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Tul shook his head gently. "I... I got a message the other day."

"What was it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Tul answered as he looked back to Will. There was a silence as he contemplated explaining. "Quarians on their pilgrimage aren't typically allowed to be contacted by the Fleet. But after nine years..."

"I thought you abandoned your pilgrimage," Will said slowly.

"I did. But it's not as though I _told_ them this." He exhaled heavily and opened up the message on his omnitool. "Apparently my mother is still clinging to the hope that I will return."

"Your mother?" Will looked to Tul's omnitool briefly. "What did she say?"

"She... nothing." The quarian waved his hand and began to walk to the door. "I don't need to trouble you with this."

Will frowned. "Tul, you're not troubling me at all. If you need to talk-"

"I don't," he interrupted while glancing back over his shoulder. "Please, Captain, I'm... fine."

They stared each other down for a few seconds before Tul turned back to the door and walked out. Will rubbed his eyes in exasperation and shook his head. Someday he was going to have a long chat with Tul.

* * *

Lorek was growing in the forward viewport of the ship as Will stared forward blankly in the copilot's seat. His eyes were burning and begging for sleep, but there had been no time. The flight to Lorek was only around six hours long and there had been a dozen little things to do around the ship during that time. He let himself sit back in the chair and look over to Shansa as her eyes darted about to the flight controls.

"Why is it that I never look as good as you when I'm flying the ship?" Will asked with a small grin.

Shansa looked to a panel to check a few readings before glancing over to him and grinning in return. "Because you're always petrified." She turned her attention back to the controls. "You've gotta be confident."

"It's hard to be confident when you only let me do the incredibly easy stuff," he countered.

"Hey, I've gotta keep my own job security in mind," Shansa quipped.

Will smirked and sat up straight. "Me knowing how to lock the ship into a flight trajectory didn't put you out of a job. Some more of the basics won't either."

Shansa shook her head with an amused smile. "Fine. I'll show you a bit more sometime. But atmospheric entry is _not_ one of the basics, so I should probably handle this part."

The ship had just begun to pierce through the outer layer of Lorek's atmosphere as she spoke. A few dozen miles below them, just above the surface, they could see the planet's perpetual storm churning violently. Will gazed down at the expanse of gray and frowned.

"Where is this place, exactly?"

"The town's name is Myral," Shansa informed him as her eyes darted around the cockpit to various instrument panels. "It's right near the edge of the storm, actually."

"The edge?" Will asked.

"Yes," came a voice from behind them.

Will jumped slightly and looked over his shoulder to see Welkinn standing in the doorway, looking through the viewport of the cockpit.

"God, you scared the hell out of me," Will accused lightly.

"My apologies," the batarian replied.

Will turned back to the front of the ship. "So why build a town on the edge of a giant storm? _How_ for that matter?"

Welkinn paused momentarily. "The town is not located on the edge of the storm, but the edge of a mountain range. The storm just so happens not to stray past it. The area near the base of the mountains offers a fertile farmland that the citizens of Myral tend to. It is one of the few areas south of the storm where it is warm enough for crops to survive."

The ship shuttered as it descended to just a few miles above the surface of the planet, still rocketing forward at maximum safe atmospheric velocity. Will tapped the multipurpose panel in front of him and entered a fast query on "Myral" in the ship's knowledge base. He gave the screen a puzzled look upon seeing zero results returned.

"You won't find anything in standard databases," Welkinn informed him while looking over his shoulder. "The town is undocumented in order to keep itself out of the eyes of Lorek's government."

"Why?" Shansa asked, her curiosity clearly piqued. "They don't like the government?"

"Many people do not," Welk answered. "As I said before, Myral is completely self-sustained. They simply do not want to be interfered with."

Will sat back and crossed his arms. Myral sounded similar to the small outpost he and Shansa had lived in when they were colonists on Arvuna.

"So how did you find out about this place?" Will asked as he glanced back to Welkinn.

Before the batarian could respond, a voice from the comm system interjected.

"_We have received your hail. Who is this? How did you obtain this frequency?"_

The voice was very clearly batarian. Shansa looked over to Will and nodded for him to answer. He cleared his throat before responding.

"This is the _MSV Hyperion_. We're just a cargo vessel looking for a place to land for a few days." Will attempted to be as vague as possible without sounding like a threat.

"_You just want to land?"_ The batarian did not sound convinced.

Will shifted uneasily. "That's right. We'd be more than willing to explain further once we've landed." He bit is lip nervously. "We have someone on board you might be familiar with. His name is Welkinn."

The three sat in silence as they waited for a response. Finally, nearly a full minute later, the voice spoke again.

"_Yes, alright. I have you on our scopes now and your ship should fit on our pad. You're free to land, but our militia will be meeting you."_

"That's fine," Will said gratefully. "Thank you."

"I thought you said we'd be welcomed with open arms," Shansa reminded Welkinn as she adjusted the ship's flightpath.

The batarian tilted his head slightly as he stood stoically in the doorway. "They are wise to be cautious. You offered no evidence that I was actually aboard, after all."

The ship rumbled as Shansa initialized the belly and forward thrusters to slow their approach. The _Hyperion_ was nearing the visible edge of the storm and the mountains just beyond it. Even while decelerating the ship cleared the remaining distance in little time, forcing Shansa to turn the ship into a bank and spiral downward toward the location of the town. As she finally brought Myral into line-of-sight with the ship, Will looked forward to see a small village made mostly of modified prefab structures nestled in the corner of a surprisingly verdant valley. Gray rocks and cliffs were all that Will had seen of Lorek before this moment, yet here was a fertile plot seemingly dropped into the middle of it all. Shansa lined the _Hyperion_ up with the guide lights blinking on the pad below and brought the ship into an elegant landing.

"Nicely done," Will commended as he rose to his feet.

He looked over to Shansa as she began shutting down the engines and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Keep the thrusters live," he said quietly.

She shifted her eyes up and nodded. "Gotcha."

Will turned to Welkinn, who stepped to the side, and passed into the hall. Eleena came walking up from the cargo bay dressed in her combat armor and nodded to them. Will gave her an amused look.

"Skeptical of the safety of our port?" Will inquired.

The asari smirked and opened the door to the airlock. "Maybe. Welkinn seems to feel the same judging by his attire."

The batarian was indeed dressed in his combat armor, but then, Will had not seen him in anything but the hardsuit since he had changed out of the prisoner's garb they had found him in. Will stepped up to her with Welkinn at his side.

"You sure you wanna go out in that?" Eleena asked, looking up and down Will's casual fatigues.

"I don't want to come off as hostile," he explained.

She shrugged. "If you say so." The trio stepped into the airlock. "I'll have a biotic shield ready. Ya know, just in case."

Will looked over to Welk as the airlock door shut and the atmosphere began normalizing. "You're sure these people are gonna remember you?"

The batarian nodded confidently. "Of course. They were loyal members of my congregation."

A soft ping rang out as the outer door slid open to reveal the gorgeous twilight sun sending rays and shadows from the mountains across the structures. On the side of the landing pad, about fifteen feet from the airlock door, was their welcoming party: five rag-tag looking batarians all aiming dated rifles toward them.

"Goddamn it," Will muttered.

"Friends!" Welkinn shouted, his rifle still stowed on his back. "I've returned."

The batarian leapt to the ground and smiled to the five others. The batarian at the center lowered his gun and took a step forward with narrowed eyes.

"So you have, Welkinn. So you have."


	13. Chapter 13

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 13**

_**Township of Myral, Lorek**_

Welkinn opened his arms and walked toward the batarian at the center of the welcome party. "Holl. It has been too long, my friend."

The batarian that Welk had referred to as Holl shifted his weight slowly and looked the cleric up and down. His face was stoic and emotionless, but his hands seemed to slacken their grip on the rifle he held. Finally, as Welkinn came to a stop less than a meter away, Holl reached to his back and stowed the weapon.

"Too long," he repeated with a small smile.

Holl stepped forward and widened his arms, reaching one over Welkinn's shoulder and pulling him into a friendly embrace. Welk reciprocated and gave a firm pat on Holl's shoulder before stepping back and looking to the four other batarians behind them. They had lowered their weapons and were watching Welkinn in silence.

"Kar. Turshan." Welkinn acknowledged two of them. "And two unfamiliar faces. New residents?"

"Correct," Holl answered as he looked to the airlock of the ship. "And them?"

He motioned toward Will and Eleena as they stood patiently in the doorway. Welk turned and placed a hand on Holl's back, guiding him toward the ship.

"My shipmates," Welkinn declared. "Captain William Hume and Eleena, our engineer. The others are finishing their duties inside the ship."

"Shipmates?" Holl looked to Welk curiously. "What have you stumbled into, Welkinn?"

"We combat those who the Pillars deem wicked enough to be hunted in their name." He motioned toward the leader of the batarians. "This is Holl. He is the closest to what one would call a leader for Myral. At least he was the last time I saw him."

Holl nodded to Welkinn. "I still am."

Will and Eleena shared a quick glance before jumping to the ground and approaching them. Will extended a hand as they came to a stop.

"Pleasure to meet you," he declared. "Thanks for letting us land."

"Hmm." Holl, his eyes still narrowed, looked Will over suspiciously. "Now, shall I allow you to stay?"

Eleena shifted her weight and cocked her hips to the side. "You gonna shake his hand or not?"

Holl's eyes shifted to her for a brief moment before a small smirk appeared on his lips. He looked back to Will and took the offered hand, shaking firmly. After the handshake he looked to Eleena for a fleeting moment, then turned back to Welkinn without further acknowledgment.

"Why have you returned, Welkinn?" Holl asked.

Will was slightly concerned by the less than exuberant tone. But then, they had not been shot on sight, so perhaps he was just not the best at reading batarian emotions.

"We seek shelter and guidance," Welkinn declared as he panned his vision across the mountain range that encapsulated most of the settlement. "My place of worship, does it remain?"

Holl slowly walked around Will, eying him closely. "Yes, we still use it. As for shelter..." He stared to the other four batarians and waved them off. "Perhaps we should discuss this in the privacy of my office."

"Excellent idea," Welkinn commended.

Eleena contorted her face. "What's wrong with talking right here?"

Holl motioned over his shoulder. Will looked beyond the landing pad to see that a half dozen new faces had appeared in the distance, all watching the events unfold from the safety of nearby buildings. The four batarians that had accompanied Holl had joined them and begun muttering quietly to one another.

"I have my people to think about," Holl said quietly as to not be heard by the others. "They must think that nothing is wrong." His eyes shifted to Welkinn. "At least until I find out whether or not this is true for myself."

Will finally averted his gaze from the onlookers. "I understand. Lead the way."

The batarian waved for them to follow. "Come then. It's a short walk."

Eleena gave Will one last doubtful look before sighing and shaking her head in defeat. She and Will hurried after Welkinn, who had already caught up to Holl. A buzz rang out from Will's omnitool, indicating an incoming message. He looked down and activated the display to see a waiting message from Tul'Sorrin.

_Is everything okay?_

He reached over with one hand and typed out a quick response.

_For now. But something doesn't feel right. Just stay alert._

Will sent the message and turned his attention back to their surroundings. His eyes widened as he finally took the time to look it over. The small colony was surprisingly picturesque given the location and structures that it was comprised of. The buildings, clearly once standard prefabs, had been modified with various additions that made the place feel more organic than nearly any other place Will had been since he left Earth. He smiled subconsciously as they approached a large structure near the center of the compound. Holl climbed the steps to the building and opened the door before stepping inside, assuming the others would follow.

"As I'm sure you've surmised, we don't get many visitors," Holl admitted as he walked across the room to the far wall.

The door closed automatically after the trio following him had stepped inside. Will studied the room swiftly as a few dull lamps automatically triggered to provide a passable level of light. The large, single-room building was scattered with an array of odds and ends. On the left wall was a desk and two chairs across from it, giving the impression that the room was used as an office. The rest, however, was a mess. A workbench, armoire, dozens of footlockers and shelves filled the remaining space, all of which were covered with various pieces of machinery or electronics. Some pieces looked as though they were used to create the various additions he had seen attached to the prefab buildings, while others were clearly weapons or armor in various states of construction or modification. It reminded him a bit of Tul's space station. Hopefully it would last longer.

"So that much has not changed," Welkinn mentioned in response as he looked around the room curiously.

Will approached the desk and sat himself in one of the chairs. "You've got a nice setup. Beautiful location, no government breathing down your neck," he glanced over to Holl. "Or so I'm told."

"You are correct. We are quite fortunate with our situation," Holl declared as he set his rifle on one of the workbenches and turned to face them. "So you can see why I'm apprehensive to consider your apparent need for shelter. A ship full of heavily armed mercenaries does not help to maintain our status quo."

"It's not _full_ of mercenaries," Eleena objected. "We're... only _partly _mercenaries." She raised a finger. "And there are only seven of us."

Holl shook his head in disapproval. "More than I had expected." He looked to Welkinn as the batarian continued to explore the office. "But I will hear your request, if only because you travel with an old friend."

"Very well." Will stood and crossed the room to face the batarian. "We need your help. We're being pursued by a group called Cerberus and we just want a place to lay low for a few weeks."

Holl's expression turned to that of shock. "Are you insane? You led them here?"

Will quickly shook his head. "What? No! We swept our systems and scanned for physical devices inside and out. There is no way they could have followed us. All we need is a place to stay with low visibility or connection with the outside world."

"Which makes this place ideal," Eleena said as she stepped up to Will's side.

Holl averted his gaze in quiet contemplation before looking to Welk and clearing his throat to get his attention. "Welkinn, how did you find yourself with these people?"

Welk turned and smiled serenely. "I had been captured and faced impending death. The Pillars chose them to be my saviors and, as such, I have joined them in their quest to seek and punish those who intended to kill me."

"Cerberus?" Holl inquired.

Will nodded. "So it would seem. But we need time to gather information before we make a move, and Omega isn't safe."

Holl nodded in consideration. "I see." He turned and began to pace along the far side of the room. "While I'm not keen on the idea of a bunch of mercenaries living among my people, I believe I can make an exception given the circumstances." Holl looked to Welkinn for another moment. "However, I need something in exchange."

Eleena narrowed her eyes. "And that is?"

"My people are not warriors," Holl began. "Five of us met you when you landed, and I would be lying if I said even all of them would be capable of holding their own in a fight. Thankfully, we are typically left undisturbed. My brother, however, runs a mining operation north of the storm and is constantly the target of bandits and slavers. His business has been waning with the recent attacks and he has no credits to afford protection."

"I see where this is going," Will commented.

Holl nodded. "It has been weeks, perhaps a month, since his mine was last targeted, but the threat always lingers." He took a deep breath. "I will allow you to stay in Myral as long as you want, but only if you give me your word that you'll come to my brother's defense whenever he might need it."

Will gave him a confident nod. "Of course. We can handle it."

"Then you are free to stay," Holl quietly declared. "But you must be ready to react to an attack at a moment's notice."

"We'll hold up our end," Eleena assured him in a defensive tone.

"Thank you, Holl," Will said earnestly. "This is incredibly generous of you."

Holl did not seem visibly moved by the compliment. "We both benefit from this arrangement. Your thanks are unneeded."

"These are excellent circumstances indeed," Welkinn said happily as he walked up to Holl. "And it is wonderful to be back among my people."

Holl looked toward the door. "You wanted to see your temple, right?"

"I did," Welk answered. "If it has not been moved then I will be able to find my way there."

"You'll find it where you left it," Holl replied. "I will begin preparations to call the town together and inform them of the situation at hand."

"Speaking of which, we should head back to the ship and tell the rest of the crew," Eleena mentioned as she looked over to Will.

Will watched as Welkinn turned for the door. "Actually..." He glanced back to her. "I'm going to follow our friend for a little while. Do you think you can handle it?"

Eleena eyed Welk for a moment then looked back to Will with a nod. "Sure." She lowered her voice. "But you're telling me everything later."

"Every detail," Will promised as he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

He turned and hurried after Welkinn as the batarian passed through the door and down the steps at the front of the building. Will jogged up to his side and put his hand amicably on the batarian's shoulder. Welkinn looked to his side and smiled.

"Captain Hume, do you need something?"

Will shook his head and slowed his pace to match Welk's. "Just curious about this temple of yours," he replied. "You've spoken a lot about your worship, so I'd like to see where it happens."

Welkinn nodded slowly in understanding. "I see." He looked ahead and led them into the street. "I would be more than happy to show you the temple, but I'm afraid you will have to leave before my communion begins."

"Is it a private thing?" Will asked.

"Quite," Welkinn answered solemnly. "It was difficult to commune when I was imprisoned. There was always a risk of being interrupted and dragged into the testing chamber. Not to mention the screams and moans of pain that came from the cells around mine."

"Sounds terrible," Will commented as he gazed around the street.

They were walking into what seemed to be the center of the town. Roughly ten batarian residents had paused from their tasks and were watching the two new faces as they rounded a small fountain at the center of the square. Will looked around to the curious faces and furrowed his brow as Welkinn waved to various individuals in passing.

"Don't you know these people?" Will asked.

Welkinn nodded in affirmation. "Oh yes."

Will gave him a confused look. "Don't you want to talk to them?"

"They are wary," Welkinn answered. "You are a stranger to them. And a human, at that. I would have to explain the situation far too many times."

"Okay..." Will took another look at the batarians staring them down. "Can't we at least show them that I'm not a threat?"

"Holl will ensure them that we are welcome guests," Welkinn assured him. "As you heard, he is preparing a gathering as we speak."

Unease was very slowly building in Will's mind. So far the warm welcome that Welkinn promised had been anything but that. He wasn't sure if the people of the town felt apprehension, nervousness, bitterness or something entirely different toward him and Welkinn, but Will was worried that things in Myral were not as the cleric had perceived. Will hoped the batarian was correct in that it was simply the unfamiliar outsiders that Welkinn had brought with him that caused the behavior. He looked back over his shoulder once more to see a pair of batarians standing in front of their prefab, watching him and Welkinn as they walked toward the edge of town. They were very clearly speaking to one another in a hushed tone.

Will cleared his throat nervously. "So, you never told me how you ended up in Myral."

"No, I did not," Welkinn affirmed. "The truth is, I did not end up in Myral so much as I helped create it."

"You what?" Will cocked a brow.

The batarian glanced to his side. "It is not a short tale," he warned the human.

"I've got time," Will said with a shrug.

Welkinn took a deep breath and came to a stop. Will halted beside him and turned to face the batarian as his eyes began to wander.

"Where to begin," the cleric asked himself.

"Wherever the relevant part comes in," Will suggested with a smirk.

Welk nodded. "You are most likely unaware, but I was born here on Lorek, just outside the capital. My family was free, but we were far from wealthy. So much so that I was working jobs in the industrial district before I had reached twelve years of age. Had I not, my family would have most likely starved."

"I didn't know it was that bad out here," Will said with a small frown.

"It isn't," Welkinn replied with a small smile. "Not for everyone, at least. But my family was not one of the lucky ones. In fact, our luck became worse as time wore on. My father was nearly killed in an explosion while working in the mineral mines deep in the storm." He shook his head. "The weather interferes with the gas pocket detection equipment, but the richest deposits are near the equator, where the storm is strongest. You can guess which side will win in a debate of profit versus worker safety."

"I guess that's one thing Council space has that the Terminus doesn't," Will said with a smirk. "Safety regs."

Welkinn shrugged. "I suppose. As I was saying, my father was nearly killed when I was sixteen years of age. He was injured terribly, and effectively disabled for the rest of his life. I was forced to seek employment that payed better and more consistently than odd jobs around the factories." He paused and crossed his arms. "Which is when I was recruited by the Guard."

"I was waiting for that," Will smirked. "So the Guard is what, Lorek's police force?"

"It is more militaristic than what most would call the police," Welk answered. "That being said, I was not part of a standard unit for long. The officers became acutely aware of my performance and unwavering loyalty, or so they called it, and offered me a chance to serve with an elite unit. The missions would be dangerous, but the compensation would match the risk." He looked to Will and smiled. "My mother and father were barely surviving. How could I refuse?"

Will could see the pain in Welkinn's eyes, despite the batarian's attempt to hide it. "This elite unit was not what you expected, I'm guessing?"

"It was and it wasn't," Welkinn said with a small laugh. "My marksman scores qualified me to be my company's sharpshooter, but military action was rare. For years we saw little engagement with the enemy, and when we did, it was nothing more than dispelling small groups of rebels that wished to terrorize citizens of Jalnor. Well, that is how the mission summaries rationalized the attacks, of course. One night, I found myself on an assignment with no one at my side but my Kishock. I was to kill a rebel instigator." He looked to the ground. "I shot him from the window of a skycar. The harpoon struck him in the chest and pinned him to the wall of his small domicile. I imagine he was found that way by his friends or compatriots. Limp, lifeless, pale and drained of blood. I did not remain in the area long enough to find out."

"You assassinated him," Will clarified.

Welkinn nodded lightly. "And many others. Eventually I was removed from my company all together and began reporting to men I had never seen before. Men with no ranks and no name. I only called them 'sir.' My assignments were always the same: eliminate a man or woman linked to rebellious or separatist movements."

Will watched the batarian's expression. The hint of pain had grown in his eyes despite Welkinn's apparent refusal to make eye contact.

"Did you regret doing it?" Will asked. "Or... do you now?"

"Now? Of course," Welkinn answered quietly. "But at the time I did not think about it enough to form regret. I believed what I was told: that these individuals were dangerous and I was ensuring the safety of Lorek by murdering them. I could not afford to think otherwise, lest my family suffer in poverty once again."

Will shook his head. "I haven't been in that situation... so I can't say for sure I would have stopped before reaching that point. But I'd like to think so." They stood in silence for a moment. "So, how does this relate to Myral?"

Welkinn let out a calming sigh. "I was given an assignment to kill a man that was suspected of plotting an attack."

"Suspected?" Will interrupted.

"He had stolen various industrial equipment and was stockpiling them somewhere. They believed he was creating some kind of weapon," Welkinn answered as he finally looked back up to Will. "And so I set out to kill him. I found a building across the street from my target's home and prepared myself for the kill. The room I had setup my rifle in was silent, so much so that I could hear steps in the hallway before the door behind me had even opened. I drew my sidearm and turned to face the door as it slid apart, only to see an older man staring back at me. I expected him to run." He shook his head. "But he simply tilted his head in curiosity and asked me why I was in his temple so late after worshiping hours."

"A cleric?" Will guessed.

Welkinn nodded once in response.

"Did you know it was a temple?" Will asked with a raised brow.

"No. I had landed on the roof and descended to my vantage point, a study, and not seen the worshiping chambers that were floors below."

Will chuckled. "So this guy wasn't taken aback by the fact that you were camped out in his temple with a sniper rifle?"

"Well, I cannot say for certain, but I have to believe he was surprised for at least a moment," Welk rationalized with a small laugh. "Regardless of whether he was surprised or not, he did not show it. And that fascinated me long enough to answer his question. I told him that I was unaware that this was a temple, and that I was here on a mission of utmost importance to Lorek's survival. He seemed intrigued, and approached me." Welkinn shook his head as he looked to the side. "My training and instincts should have made me shoot him, or at least order him to leave at once, but there was something about his presence that tamed me. He asked what my mission entailed, and I told him that I was to eliminate a threat." Welkinn looked back to Will, slightly confused. "Once again, I should never have revealed the intent of my assignment, but I did not hesitate when he asked. Perhaps it was because I had never actually been questioned about a mission by anyone other than my superiors."

Will nodded for him to continue.

"He asked me what this threat had done to deserve death. Who it was. It was difficult for me to respond, and eventually I answered that I did not know. The cleric approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder. It was comforting. He asked how I knew who I was to kill, and so I showed him the image that I was given and the address of the building across the street. He looked disappointed and informed me that the man I was preparing to assassinate was named Holl, a man that was making his final preparations to lead a group away from the city to a place where they would not be subjected to the very people that _I_ reported to. Holl had confided in this cleric for years, you see, and the Pillars of Strength had spoken to them: Holl would lead his people to a better place, or there would be no end to their suffering." Welkinn paused. "And _that_ is when I first felt the regret."

"At first I denied it. He had stolen equipment to create weapons, I said assuredly. But once again the cleric corrected me. He had stolen that equipment from the oppressive manufactories he and his followers had worked in for years so that they could use them in the new settlement he would establish. I felt guilt swallowing me. He was only doing for dozens what I had tried to do for my mother and father: save them from their suffering." Welkinn closed his eyes. "I turned away from the cleric and thought of the men and women I had killed in the past. How many of them could have been no more threatening to Lorek than this man, Holl. I asked how I could possibly repent for what I had done. The lives I had no doubt ruined." His eyes opened once again. "And he answered, 'Helping them, for a start.'"

"Before I left the temple the cleric gave me a book: a copy of the First Words that I would come to study intensely in the following months. I thanked him and sought out Holl in his home, telling him that there were people who wanted him dead. Together we expedited the escape and came to deliver his people to the very valley we stand in today."

Will looked to him curiously. "What about your parents? I thought they were the whole reason you got into the Guard to begin with."

Welkinn smiled. "I brought them here. They lived happily in Myral until two years ago, when they passed."

"So I guess you became a cleric after you settled in Myral?" Will inquired.

"That is correct," Welkinn answered. "Do you still wish to see my temple?"

"Sure," Will replied with a smile.

The batarian turned and continued walking along the path. "Perhaps you can tell me how you and your crew came to be in such a unique position with this Collective of yours."

Will laughed and hurried to his side. "That old anecdote? Sure, why not. Got a few hours?"

Welkinn grinned. "It would seem we have a few weeks, Captain Hume."

"Excellent point," Will conceded.

He smiled as he began to recount the tale that started on a crippled MSV _Hyperion,_ laden with a mysterious prothean artifact, drifting toward Omega.


	14. Chapter 14

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 14**

_**Township of Myral, Lorek**_

"You pretty much know everything that happened after that," Will said as he came to the conclusion of his tale.

Welkinn nodded. "I see. And what became of the others who assisted you with this rogue Spectre? Tyrixis and Vayren?"

"I've spoken to Vayren quite a bit since then. Apparently the crew and I are a trustworthy source for hearsay in the Terminus," Will's face slackened to a frown. "I haven't heard from Tyrixis. When she left, she said she was headed to Palaven. God knows if that's true, and if it is, where she ended up afterward."

"It sounds as though you would have preferred they stay with you," Welkinn observed.

Will smirked. "Well, obviously. They were good people and we could trust them. It's hard to find that out here." He gave a shrug of defeat. "But I understand why they left. I probably would have if I'd been in their shoes."

The pair continued on in silence for another minute or so until Welkinn slowed and held out a hand toward a small building at the side of the path. Will turned and looked over his shoulder, having not realized that they had left the majority of the compound behind and were now on the very edge of the town itself.

"We're here," Welkinn said happily.

Will followed the cleric as he stepped up the stairs leading to the doorway and placed his hand on the control panel. It pinged softly and slid open.

"I thank the Ring for guiding me home," Welkinn spoke as he stepped over the threshold and stared to the far wall of the relatively small structure.

As he stepped inside, Will looked around to see that the entire building was only one room. It was dark, with no windows and only a few dim lights in the corners. He followed Welkinn's eyes to see that the batarian was staring up at what looked like a large painted ring made up of approximately thirty tiny circles with writing in some batarian language accompanying each of them. The rest of the room was very modest, with two benches on the left and right walls and nothing but empty, solid floor between them. A single pedestal was flush against the wall beneath the large, painted circle and was adorned with a book resting at the top. It was the first time he had seen a paper book outside of the _Hyperion's_ small bookshelf in months, if not years, and a small smile spread across his lips.

"Very humble," Will noted as the door shut behind them.

"This is all one needs to worship," Welkinn rationalized as he crossed the room.

Will walked after him and nodded to the painting. "Is this the Circle of Pillars?"

Welk gave him a quick smile. "Yes."

The batarian looked back to the painting as he came to a stop less than an arm's length away. He reached up with his right hand and placed his fingers over one of the small circles that represented each Pillar. With his eyes shut, Welkinn spoke three or four words under his breath before pulling his hand back to the side.

"Perseverance," Welkinn said as he looked over his shoulder. "One of the Pillars of Strength."

"So each one of the Pillars is represented here," Will deduced as he stepped up beside him and examined the painting.

The Cleric nodded. "That is correct."

"It's nice in here," Will mentioned as he turned and looked around the empty room. "Quiet and calming."

"That is the idea," Welkinn informed him. "I don't like to be disturbed during the communion. I will speak to each one of the Pillars and ask for their guidance. I will start with Foresight."

Will raised a brow. "Pillar of...?"

The batarian turned and pointed to another circle near the bottom-left of the ring. "A Pillar of Wisdom."

"So what's in the book?" Will asked as he nodded toward the pedestal.

"It is the copy of the First Words given to me the Cleric I told you of earlier," Welkinn answered. "They contain the writings of Ankramere, which established the Circle of Pillars and the importance of each." He glanced to Will. "Unfortunately, I must now ask you to leave."

"Ah, right, don't want to be a disturbance," Will replied respectfully. "Well, thanks for showing me this place, Welkinn. And thank you for the talk earlier. I was beginning to worry that I'd have to pry anything substantial out of you."

The batarian reached forward and placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "It's only fair that you should know of my past. And regardless of the Ring's hand in predestination, I am truly glad to be with you and your crew. It is rare to find people ready and willing to take action against the wickedness that encroaches on this galaxy."

Will looked to the batarian inquisitively. "You really care about fighting that 'wickedness.'"

Welkinn took his hand back. "I spread far too much of it when I was young. Possibly more than I could ever atone for." He paused for a moment as though he was stuck on his words. "But I would like to try."

* * *

Will made his way back to the ship as swiftly as possible. Roughly halfway through the walk he realized that he had not seen a single onlooking and curious batarian during his return. It wasn't until he neared the town center that he saw the small population of Myral congregated and looking to Holl as he spoke from the steps in front of his office. Will, not interested in interrupting the town meeting, skirted around the area and soon saw the _Hyperion_ protruding above the roofs of a few prefabs. He jogged down the path to the landing pad and slowed as he approached the ship before reaching up and opening the airlock. After climbing up and waiting through the decontamination process the inner door opened up to a muffled conversation drifting down the hall from the cargo bay. Will walked forward quietly and slowed as he approached the door, listening in as Eleena spoke.

"I don't know, this place just feels off."

"'Off' how?" Ralliston's voice asserted.

"The people just seemed fucking bizarre. Even their leader came off as unstable half the time." She snorted. "It's like a whole colony of Welks."

Tul'Sorrin could be heard stifling a laugh. "That's not funny."

"It's a little funny," Eleena chuckled.

Will walked through the door to see the crew congregated by the armory. "The king returns," he announced with a smirk.

"Oh boy, just what we need," Shansa said as she looked over her shoulder. "A god complex."

"Hey, we've already got a 'talks-to-god' complex." Ralliston snickered. "Why not bring it full circle?"

T'lees shook her head. "You all are terribly mean to that man."

Will frowned as he came to a stop with the group. "She's right, guys, Welk's on our side. Let's stop insulting and deriding someone who we're supposed to trust."

"That'd be easy if I actually trusted him," Eleena said truthfully.

"Then just do it for me," Will restated as he met her eyes.

The asari let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine, fine."

"Eleena filled us in on what went down," Shansa informed Will in an attempt to change the subject. "It's nice that they're letting us stay."

"And all we have to do is play bodyguard for a few weeks?" Ralliston stretched his shoulders. "Easiest paycheck of my life."

"We're still low on supplies," Shansa reminded them.

Will crossed his arms. "You're right. And this place probably isn't in the position to hand us what we need."

"We could travel to Jalnor in the shuttle," T'lees suggested. "We could easily fit what we need in the Kodiak."

Shansa nodded in agreement. "Good idea." She glanced over to the asari. "Do you think you could help me take stock tomorrow?"

T'lees smiled warmly. "Certainly."

"Great. I'll head to Jalnor once I know what we need," Shansa said decidedly.

Ralliston gave her a suspicious look. "Alone? Jalnor is almost entirely batarian. You're pretty much asking to be abducted and thrown into the slave trade."

Will smirked. "Excellent point, Ralliston. You'll go with her." He looked around the circle. "T'lees, would you join them?"

The asari nodded. "Of course, Captain."

"Good." He looked to Eleena and Tul'Sorrin. "While they're gone, you two can start on that full-spread diagnostic of the _Hyperion_ that we've been putting off for months."

Eleena grinned. "You don't have to ask me twice." Her eyes widened as she became lost in audible thought. "I don't know what you humans were thinking when you engineered those thrusters, but someone decided to _bury _the chem-level readers inside the compression module and they burned out months ago." She took in a calming breath. "I finally have an excuse to tear that thing open."

Shansa grinned and placed her hand on the asari's shoulder. "Maybe you should take a nice cold shower, El."

Will chuckled. "Alright, alright. Any other concerns?"

"I have a question," T'lees asserted. "Is the administrator interested in our assistance with any of the day to day tasks? I would love to lend my hands and learn a bit more about these people and how Myral sustains itself."

"I didn't ask... but they probably wouldn't object," Will answered with a shrug. "Either way, I'll introduce everyone to Holl tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Eleena said with a small yawn. "But I need a decent night of sleep."

"Who doesn't?" Will lamented.

* * *

Ten hours later Will had called the crew together at the airlock and guided them to the center of town where Holl's office was located. The batarian seemed much more receptive and welcoming than he had been the day before, which Will rationalized by reminding himself that their arrival had been quite sudden. After the introductions had been made the crew returned to the ship where Shansa, T'lees and Ralliston began taking stock of the supplies while Will, Eleena and Tul set to work collecting data from hundreds of nodes and sensors throughout the ship. Two hours later, Shansa, T'lees and Ralliston had set off for Jalnor in search of a vendor for their much needed supplies.

"Okay, now set this one down _carefully_," Eleena ordered.

"I only dropped one piece," Will objected. "And it's not like it was important."

"You didn't know that it wasn't important until after you dropped it," the asari argued with a laugh. "So this time I'm letting you know _now_: if you drop this piece, we won't be flying anytime soon."

Will looked up into the closet-sized compartment that housed the internal portion of the starboard thruster. From where he stood in the cramped passageway that led to and from the thruster and main engine room, all he could see was an arm dangling from the pipes and tubes that lined the ceiling. In the purple hand hanging from the ceiling was a thin metal tube, no more than six inches long, that was sealed on either side and covered in a thin layer of an oily substance. He reached forward and wrapped the tips of his fingers around the slick metal.

"Uggh. Are you sure it's safe to handle this stuff with our bare hands?"

"You're fine," she called from out of sight. "Don't be such a baby."

He looked the component over for a second before turning and hurrying through the passageway to the central engineering compartment. Will knelt beside a towel spread across the floor and set the piece down gently.

Will grinned to himself as he stood and slid back into the passageway. "I think massive radiation exposure or chemical burns are perfectly reasonable concerns when handling engine components."

Eleena's arm had disappeared back up into the perch she had positioned herself on while she worked on the innards of the starboard thruster. Her slightly muffled voice responded.

"If handing you one tiny piece of the compression module had those kinds of risks, consider the death-trap that would be sticking my arm in to retrieve it." Eleena's torso and arm suddenly appeared, her other arm apparently holding onto something out of sight to allow her to hang from the ceiling. "You think I'm dumb enough to forget about that kind of potential issue?"

Will leaned back against the wall and slid his hands into his pockets as he looked up to her. "I do not."

"And who is the engineer here?" She asked with a wink.

"Unfortunately, you," Will answered with a teasing grin.

She scoffed jokingly and pulled herself back up. "'Unfortunately' my ass."

"That's hardly the word I'd use to describe it," Will commented just loud enough for her to hear.

There was a small hiss as Eleena unlatched another one of the silver tubes and held it down for Will to grab.

"Keep helping me out and you might just see it tonight," she teased from above.

Will chuckled and took the component in his fingers before moving back into the engineering compartment and setting it beside its counterpart. As he returned to his spot in the hall he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Hey El, mind if I ask you something?"

"Ah, damn it," she lamented. "Nothing good ever comes from a question you have to get permission to ask."

"It's nothing bad," Will laughed. "Just something... personal."

Eleena let out a small grunt as she adjusted a stiff nozzle deep inside the inactive engine's chemical processing unit. "Personal?" She slid down and poked her head from the pipes to look at him. "Of course, Will. You can ask me anything."

He took a deep breath and crossed his arms behind his back. "Is this something you want to do forever? Fix ships and all that?"

The asari paused for a moment before letting out a small grunt of exertion and sliding herself free from her perch. She dropped to the cramped floor of the thruster compartment and stepped up to his side, tilting her head curiously.

"I don't know about forever. I mean, every woman hears the stories about how her maternal instincts will kick in out of nowhere the second she hits matronhood." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Settle down, have some kids, that kind of stuff. At the very least I probably won't be jumping from ship to ship at that age."

"I hope you're not planning on jumping ship anytime soon," Will said with a grin.

Eleena winked. "Not as long as I've got you to jump on." She eyed him closely. "Why do you ask?"

Will shook his head. "Just curious. It's hard to imagine you staying in one place. Especially if you're not wrist-deep in some fuel pipes."

"Hey now, I never said anything about giving up my profession," she said challengingly. "My parents did just fine for themselves on Cyone."

"Speaking of which," Will reached up and tucked an errant strand of hair behind his ear. "When was the last time you spoke to your parents?"

Eleena's elated expression slowly faded as she looked to the side in search of a response. "Well my father died a few hundred years ago. You know that."

Will nodded. "I guess by 'parents' I just meant 'mother.'"

Eleena out a disgruntled sigh and turned to lean back against the bulk of the engine that filled the center of the small room. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and looked to the ceiling.

"It's probably been a good hundred and fifty years," she answered.

Will raised his brows in surprise. "That long?"

The asari chuckled cynically. "Not long enough, unfortunately."

"Guess you didn't have the best relationship?" Will deduced with a small laugh.

"We barely had one." Eleena shook her head. "I told you about how I grew up. She was never around, but it wasn't her fault. She worked on the orbital platforms while my father worked in the drydocks on the surface. That led to me growing close to my dad and who he was... while idealizing my mother. He died around the time I started branching out and looking for work of my own. I spent some of that time on a platform with my mother, and..."

"She wasn't who you thought she was?" Will finished as she trailed off.

Eleena looked over to him. "You could say that. She was... mean. Whenever I saw her as a kid she seemed happy to see me, and that was the case for the first few weeks I was working with her. But after a while I began to see what she was really like. The veneer fell away and left nothing but reclusive, bitter woman with a severe gambling problem. I think my father's death was really hard for her." He smirked. "Apparently she wasn't a very good asari. I probably would have tried to help her with all of those things if she hadn't stolen from me _twice _to feed her addictions. Sometimes... sometimes I wish I hadn't just left her. I could have..."

The asari swallowed angrily as her words trailed off and shut her eyes.

"Damn it, I'm sorry." Will put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Really. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize," Eleena interrupted as she opened her eyes and looked over to him with a small smile. "I haven't been able to talk to anyone about this kind of thing for a long time. It's nice to have someone who will listen."

Will smiled warmly. "Always."

"Thank you." She reached up and cupped his cheek briefly. "But... we should get back to work. I have a lot to do."

"Yeah, sure," Will said with a smile as he laced his fingers together and lowered his arms.

Eleena smiled and looked down as he offered his hands to provide a step up. She lifted one foot and placed her boot firmly on his laced fingers while jumping up and grabbing onto the pipes overhead with her hands. She let out a sigh as she flexed her body and pulled herself up into the rat's nest of cables, pipes and heavy tubing.

"Hey, can you go grab the arc-reader from Tul?" She called from above. "I think he brought it to the cockpit a few hours ago."

"Sure thing," Will answered as he ducked into the passage and toward the engineering compartment.

He smiled softly as he passed through the engine room and into the empty cargo bay, looking around to nothing in particular as he did. Will stepped quietly into the forward hall and could see some of the cockpit panels active through the door straight ahead. He raised a brow as he saw Tul'Sorrin sitting in the copilot's seat, staring down at his crimson omnitool in silence. Will approached quietly and placed his hand on the door frame as he looked down at Tul curiously.

"Whatcha reading?"

The quarian jumped in his chair and looked over his shoulder. "Keelah! You did that on purpose."

"Maybe," Will admitted with a grin. "But you didn't answer me."

Tul tapped his omnitool to deactivate it. "It's nothing. Need something?"

Will nodded, deciding not to push the issue. "Is the arc-reader up here?"

The quarian spun the chair around and grabbed a small scanner from the starboard side of the cockpit before turning back and holding it in his palm.

"Here you are."

"Thanks." Will grabbed the tool and looked around the cockpit. "How is everything looking up here?"

"Just fine," Tul answered as he glanced over to check one of the panels. "I'm doing some cleanup on a lot of the cockpit software." He tapped a few buttons and turned back to Will. "I'm also going to upload some of the auto-pilot functions that Shansa and I have been writing."

Will gave him an intrigued look. "Auto-pilot? I thought the _Hyperion_ already had it."

"It does," Tul answered. "But it still requires a significant amount of know-how. These are quick programs that will allow someone to do something like... set a course correction or lock into orbit very easily just in case Shansa can't get to the cockpit. Kind of like the pre-loaded hacks I put on the team's omnitools."

"Ah, gotcha." Will gave him an approving nod. "Well, I'll take this back to Eleena. You need anything, Tul?"

The quarian shook his head quickly. "Nope." He cleared his throat. "Thanks."

Will let his eyes linger on Tul'Sorrin for a short moment before turning and walking back into the hallway.


	15. Chapter 15

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 15**

_**Township of Myral, Lorek**_

Will let out a deep grunt as his hands strained to grip the metal pipe trying desperately to slip from his fingers. He blinked in surprise as a large portion of the weight miraculously relieved itself and glanced to his side to see T'lees gritting her teeth as she hoisted the far end into the air.

"Thanks," he called with a sigh.

The asari managed a small smile. "You looked as though you could use a hand."

"Or two," Will admitted as he readjusted his previously failing posture.

"Is this one going with the others?" T'lees asked as she looked out into the field.

"One row further," he answered.

She nodded as they began carefully walking the heavy length of pipe into the rows of crops. Although they had been reluctant at first, the citizens of Myral had grown to accept the crew's standing offer of labor as a means to pay back and thank them for the intrusion on their town. Laying the pipes for a rather archaic irrigation system had been their task for the past few days and they were nearing the end of the field. Thankfully, the weather always seemed to hover in a comfortable range as they worked.

"Oh!"

T'lees shouted briefly as her end of the slippery metal slid from her hand and fell onto the muddy path.

"I apologize," she gasped immediately. "I was barely paying attention."

Will had managed to hold onto his end and laughed. "Still happy about offering your hands for labor around town?"

The asari knelt and grabbed the tube once again. "Of course. It has allowed me to learn quite a bit about this place and its people."

"Yeah?" Will looked back ahead as they set off again. "I didn't know you were such a people person."

She shrugged lightly in consideration. "I was not aware either until I met you and your crew."

Will chuckled. "How's that?"

"Oh, I suppose it came from actually _being_ with people for a change," she answered as they made their way to the end of the field. "Before you all burst into my office on Altakiril I was very much a recluse, simply by nature of my situation. Hundreds of years of running illegal weapons production and distribution meant I frequently had to disappear for weeks or months at a time. And of course when my first business in the homeworlds fell through," she let out a small laugh, "I obviously became much more conscious of my visibility."

"That's it?" He raised a brow and looked over his shoulder. "You just needed to get out of the house?"

T'lees averted her eyes momentarily. "Partially, yes. There were other factors as well."

Will slowed the two of them down as they approached the small ditch that had been prepared for the length of piping and positioned himself at the side. He looked over and nodded to T'lees as they lowered themselves, setting the pipe into position carefully as to not disturb the earth around them.

"Such as?" Will asked as he stood up and stretched.

T'lees tilted her head in confusion.

"The 'other factors?'" Will clarified as he turned and set off to their origin.

He stepped carefully as he walked, making sure not to step on any of the planted and growing crops around them. T'lees had quickened her pace to reach his side.

"It is... hard to express, I suppose," she replied slowly. After another bout of silence she glanced to Will and spoke in an unusually reserved tone. "Corsin saved me from being handed over to the commandos solely because I was of use to your mission as a source of intelligence. But he also advocated for me when I offered to help. He believed that I truly wanted to see Antarian brought to justice."

"I think most of us did," Will pointed out. "The bigger concern was what to do with you after we'd taken care of him."

T'lees offered a small smile. "I was in a dark place when you all met me. For me, the previous five years had been nothing but paranoia and decline of sanity. But when I was told about what he did... the way he gave up his life without hesitation..." She shook her head and looked forward. "It stirred something in me that I had forgotten long ago."

Will slowed as they approached the pile of metal tubing. "Empathy?"

"You might say that," she admitted shamefully. "When I was younger and running the business in its first iteration all I cared about was personal gain." The asari shrugged helplessly. "It is not uncommon to become overly concerned with making _yourself_ happy during maidenhood."

He knelt and prepared to lift the next length of piping. "I'm not judging you, Fayneer," he assured her.

Will looked over to see the woman kneel at the far end and grasp onto the metal tube. She stared down at the mud for a few seconds before glancing over and fought to smile against a nervous frown.

"While I hope that is true, I would not hold it against you. If I cannot help but judge myself, why should you or the others hold back?"

"Everyone loses their clarity once in a while," he rationalized. "And you know, I'd say it doesn't matter who you were before we met, but that'd be a lie." Will continued to watch her as he spoke. "Even from what I know about you, Fayneer, I still think you're a good person. You don't need to prove yourself to me or anyone else on the crew."

T'lees let out a small laugh. "I would not make a claim like that if I were you. Eleena is not as easy to please as you are."

Will let out a grunt as they lifted the pipe. "I don't think Eleena cares about whether or not you're a 'good person' per se. As long as she trusts you to not fuck us over, I think you're fine."

The asari smiled as they set off toward the far end of the field once again. "I will keep that in mind. What about the others?"

"Are you actually worried about what everyone thinks about you?" Will asked as he looked over his shoulder with a raised brow.

T'lees shrugged bashfully and nodded. "My social skills are not as adept as they were when I was in my hundreds."

His eyes darted to the side as a specimen of avian life indigenous to Lorek swooped down and perched on one of the fence posts at the edge of the field. The large, black bird watched Will and T'lees curiously as they lumbered along.

"Well Shansa likes you, but she likes everyone," he finally informed her. "Tul'Sorrin... god, I don't know. I can barely tell if Tul likes _me_. As long as you don't use his terminal without permission or ignore his suggestions I think you're on his good side." Will shook his head. "As for Welk and Ralliston? Hell if I know. I've got less of a read on them than I do on Tul."

"Mm, I see. We have not worked with them for long, of course, so perhaps we will simply need to wait before drawing any conclusions."

Will nodded and let out a sigh as they dropped the pipe into place. "That's the plan."

"Speaking of which," T'lees said quietly as she motioned over his shoulder with her single eye.

He turned to see two figures meandering down a path toward the field. Will watched as Ralliston and Shansa talked to one another while approaching the gate before Shansa pointed to Will and T'lees and waved. Will waved in return and glanced over to T'lees.

"Let's see what they're doing out here," he said as he wiped his muddy hands on his pant legs.

The two pairs quickly came to meet at the gate of the fence that surrounded the crops. Will gave the others a confused look as he came to see them dressed in their full combat attire.

"Hiya!" Shansa exclaimed happily.

"Hello Shansa," T'lees replied with a smile. "And hello to you, Ralliston."

The turian nodded in acknowledgment.

"Is there a situation or something?" Will asked as he pointed to his back, mimicking the place where Ralliston and Shansa were carrying their weapons.

"Na, just getting restless," Ralliston answered. "Shansa and I were going to head up the mountain and look for a place to use as a firing range. Apparently the townfolk don't take kindly to firing live rounds nearby."

Will felt a sense of unease cross his mind at the notion. Ralliston was still far from trustworthy in his book, and Shansa was just a beginner with her new rifle.

"Where's everyone else? I figured they would be chomping at the bit to shoot off some rounds." Will looked between the two of them.

"Eleena and Tul are busy with the ship," Shansa answered with a frown. "And I don't know enough about the air filtration systems to help."

"And I assume Welkinn is in his temple?" T'lees suggested.

Ralliston shook his head. "Visiting with some of his old congregation."

Shansa smiled warmly. "Anyway, we were just gonna ask if you want to come along."

Will exhaled deeply and looked back at the half-dozen pipes that remained to be placed. "We can finish this up tomorrow, I guess." He smirked. "It's not like they're paying us or anything."

"I would love to join," T'lees added. "To where did you intend to hike?"

Ralliston pointed to the base of a nearby smaller mountain only a few thousand feet in elevation. "The foothills over there are probably far enough."

"Alright, I'm in," Will said decisively. "I think I'll just come along for the hike. Not really in the mood to suit up."

T'lees looked to the side as she considered the same. "I will leave my equipment as well. Just the exercise will be satisfying for me." She shrugged lightly. "If anything, I can work on my biotics."

"Come on, then!" Shansa called with a grin as she turned walk about the fence-line.

"Has she _ever_ let that smile falter?" T'lees asked with amusement.

Will smirked softly. "Once or twice. And for good reason."

* * *

Despite the long hike, Will had managed to maintain his strength and energy as they reached the crest of the hill. Now, he looked down the long climb that had taken a few hours to complete and squinted to identify the tiny shape of the _Hyperion_ on the far edge of Myral. The view of the valley was breathtaking from their position, but it was the opposite face of the foothill that was even more incredible. He turned away from the valley to the expanse of mountains that fell near the edge of the perpetual storm and took in a deep breath with wide eyes. Like the plateau that housed the missile silo they had attacked in their search for Antarian and the mountainside research facility overtaken by Project Sommesh, the terrain beneath the storm very rapidly became gray and devoid of all plant life the further one's gaze stretched into the mountains.

"Crazy view, huh?"

Will looked to the corner of his eye to see Shansa staring out into the distant storm. "Damn crazy," he affirmed quietly.

She grinned and gave him a sideways look. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Nothing," he said truthfully.

Shansa smirked lightly. "That's hard to believe."

"No, I'm serious," Will replied with a small laugh. "I'm just thinking about... _nothing._ It's really relaxing."

"It is nice not having a to-do list," she admitted.

Sadly, Will knew that it would not last. Shansa and Tul had taken the shuttle out to link into the comm network twice over the past few weeks and, as per Will's request, tap into the RMC's battle network. Thankfully, the Collective didn't appear to have been targeted by Cerberus. However, that didn't mean they would be able to stay in Myral forever. After being away from Omega for over two weeks, Will was confident that Kallux would have uncovered whatever there was to be found on Cerberus. Soon he was going to have to remind the crew and they would return to find out what could be done about the shadowy organization.

"I think we're going to head down a ways," Ralliston called from a few dozen feet down the side of the hill. "I see a place that might work."

Will and Shansa looked down to see T'lees and the turian waiting patiently. They reluctantly tore themselves from the peak and began a quick descent to their crewmates.

"Might work for what?" Will inquired as they approached.

"A make-shift shooting range," Ralliston clarified.

The turian pointed down the hill to a relatively small, level outcropping clear of most obstructions. One end was capped by a flat rock face that rose up a good twenty feet to create a plain wall that Will quickly identified as the target for their shots. At the other end were a few boulders of various sizes that could offer a place to sit or, given the height of some, a place to steady one's weapon while firing.

"After you," Will said with a smile.

The turian guided the group down the slope in a path of little resistance, causing only a few rocks and pebbles to be displaced as they carefully watched their footing. Ralliston took a deep breath as they came to a stop at the miniature plateau and nodded approvingly.

"Yeah, this'll do just fine," he said with a clear sense of satisfaction.

Will and T'lees, the unarmored of the group, made their way to the edge of the make-shift shooting range and sat on the rocks to watch from a safe distance. Ralliston and Shansa positioned themselves nearby and looked down-range to the flat rock face before reaching to their backs and drawing their weapons.

"You first," Shansa said to Ralliston playfully.

The turian laughed and raised his heavy assault rifle with ease. "If you insist."

Most weapons of the mass accelerator age were nowhere near as loud as their archaic gunpowder driven predecessors. There were exceptions, however. The first time Will had seen Kallux use his signature cannon in combat he was stunned by how loud the weapon was. He had had a similar reaction the first time he fought along side Ralliston. Both weapons were of a higher caliber than standard weapons, causing them to thump and crack as each projectile left the barrel. Ralliston's assault rifle roared as its high rate of fire sent dozens of bullets into the stone wall in just a few seconds, causing Will to wince slightly as the sound drove into his unprotected ears.

"Damn!" Ralliston shouted happily as he lowered the rifle. "I don't think I've ever gone that long without firing off a few shots."

"Nice stability," Will commented as he eyed the relatively low spread on the bullet holes.

The turian looked over his shoulder. "There's a reason the RMC was so interested in bringing me on board," he noted cockily.

Shansa raised her rifle and assumed the stance Eleena had lectured her on. "Okay, here it goes!"

A series of short, controlled bursts rang out from her rifle in what seemed like an intentionally precise rhythm. Will smiled proudly at how well Shansa handled the weapon and nodded in approval at the closely packed impacts of the shots. There was no way he would let it happen, but Will was fairly confident that she could hold her own in a firefight so long as her spacial awareness was as good as her aim. As she was a pilot, he had to assume it was top-notch.

"Excellent shots," T'lees commended with a smile.

"You think so?" Shansa asked, her face beaming with excitement as she looked down-range.

Ralliston gave her a small nod. "Yeah, not bad." He set his rifle down on a nearby rock and stepped forward. "Hold your fire for a minute."

The three others watched as the turian jogged across the outcropping before coming to a stop at the base of the wall. He ignited his omniblade and swiped at the rock, nicking it just close enough to make a clearly visible gash in the stone. He moved a few meters to the left and right, placing two more about equidistant from the center. Ralliston hurried back and motioned over his shoulder.

"There, now we've actually got some targets," Ralliston commented as he scooped up his weapon. "Try this one."

He spun on his heel and fired off a few shots into the center mark, then right, left, right and back to the middle in the blink of an eye.

"Aheh," Shansa bit her lip and readied her rifle. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

Will snorted in amusement, which T'lees questioned with a raised brow.

"I guess the pun didn't make it through the translator," he mentioned with a smirk.

Shansa attempted the shots as Will spoke, hitting the target on two of the five targets. She lowered her rifle and frowned.

"Pretty close," Ralliston commended.

"I still have to get used to the weight," Shansa sighed. "I mean, I can make the _Hyperion_ look like it belongs in a frickin' ballet. Which for a cargo hauler is not an easy feat, mind you." She looked down at the rifle and shook her head. "I'll get the hang of it."

Ralliston and Shansa spent the next fifteen minutes practicing their shots, with Shansa getting a little closer to hitting all five each time. Eventually, Ralliston stowed his rifle and gave a satisfied stretch.

"I'm gonna take a seat for a bit," he mentioned while walking back toward Will and T'lees.

The asari sprung to her feet and passed him by, coming to stop next to Shansa. She watched with her arms crossed as Shansa began another attempt. Ralliston let out a sigh as he sat on a rock near Will and leaned back.

"You're a good shot," Will complimented.

"I know," Ralliston said bluntly. "It's why I'm not dead."

Will turned from watching Shansa and T'lees with an amused look. "I can't tell if you took that compliment well or like a jackass."

"Well I know I'm good," the turian snorted. "Why the fuck would I pretend like I'm not? Hell, it's the one thing I _know_ I'm good at."

"Hmm, fair point," Will admitted. "An ounce of humility can go a long way, though."

"Captain, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." Ralliston leaned closer to him. "I'm not here to impress you or anyone else on your crew. I'm here to do two things: get the job done and get paid."

Will gave him a semi-intrigued look. "That so?"

Ralliston snorted at the mocking expression. "You don't have to like me, Hume. I don't have to like you. But the Collective hasn't missed a payment yet and it's hard to argue with consistent work."

"Yeah?" Will placed his hand on the rock and leaned to the side. "How's it compare to the Blue Suns?"

"I'm still wearing your colors, aren't I? How do you think?"

Will smirked. "I know how much we pay. The Blue Suns probably beat us hands-down." He nodded to the turian. "So if you're so interested in credits, why are you with the lesser option?"

Ralliston looked back to their make-shift firing range where T'lees was pointing and helping Shansa reposition her stance. The turian's mandibles flared from a passing emotion that Will was unable to read from his nearly expressionless face.

"Why should I tell you that?" He finally asked.

"How 'bout because I'm the one authorizing your 'hazard' pay for this oh-so-treacherous mission," Will answered with a grin.

Ralliston continued to stare in any direction other than Will. "Alright. Then why do you wanna know?"

"Because I'm in charge and I love abusing my power," Will said jokingly.

"Ha." The turian glanced over and nodded. "Fine. If you're not going to drop it. It's because the Blue Suns fucked me over one too many times."

Will crossed his arms. "Still listening."

With a heavy sigh, Ralliston continued. "I joined up when I was a kid. Sixteen years old."

"Wait, how old are you now?" Will tilted his head curiously.

"Twenty one," he answered.

Will blinked and shook his head. "Damn. You're the first person on the crew younger than me. Well, besides Shansa."

"Yeah, you're old as hell, get over it," Ralliston said jokingly. "Anyway, I joined up only a few months after my sixteenth birthday. I had no family, no home and no damn future in the Omega slums, that's for sure. I picked the gig up quick and I ended up seeing a lot of combat. I led a raid on a warehouse in Eclipse territory one night and a damn security camera got a clean shot of me without my helmet. Now this is all hearsay, but apparently the Eclipse were furious and sent my picture to the Blue Suns demanding for them to turn me over. I guess they were willing to forgive the raid if they got to tear me limb to limb, so to speak." He paused for a moment. "Maybe literally. I don't know, Eclipse can be fucking insane."

"So they set me up. Told me to meet up for a secret gig in this warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Now, I always scope out a meeting place beforehand and something just didn't seem right about this one, so I hid and waited for the time to roll around. Ten minutes after I was supposed to show, five Eclipse burst in expecting me to be all by lonesome. Obviously I got the hell out of there. But that put me on the shit-list for the Eclipse _and_ the Blue Suns, so I didn't have many options. Walking around _alone_ in a Blue Suns uniform would cause just enough suspicion from either side for me to get caught, so I had to lay low and burn this shit off," he motioned toward the acid burn on his neck. "That's a whole damned ordeal in itself."

"I've got time," Will reminded him with a grin.

The turian sighed and closed his eyes. "It was a dumb mistake. It was right after I'd disappeared; I didn't have a credit to my name because the gang had access to my accounts and shut them down. I figured out pretty quick that running around with a Blue Suns tattoo after you'd deserted is a nightmare, so I had to get rid of it. I went into this industrial chem shop, grabbed one of their tamer solutions from the shelf and walked to the refresher. Of course, some guy was leaving right when I got there: one of the Blue Suns. I hid my tattoo as best I could and figured he hadn't seen it. I wasn't in uniform, obviously, but I was pretty close to the gang's operating center I was last stationed at, so my face must've been on a board nearby." He waved a hand dismissively. "Either way, he'd picked up on who I was without me knowing. So I head into the refresher, open the jug of acid and just splash a good bit onto my neck. And damn, let me tell you... Turian skin is tough, but I still feel the burns."

"Wait, you did it inside the shop?" Will asked with a perplexed expression.

"I told you, I was broke. I couldn't afford to buy the acid and do it in the alley," Ralliston answered. "So I was over the sink, barely standing from the pain, when the door opens. I looked over and saw three Blue Suns walk in, the guy I'd nearly bumped into standing in the middle. My gear was stashed a few blocks nearby, so I had nothing on these guys as they walked over. While my tattoo was bubbling away the guy who spotted me said, 'Someone probably worked real hard on that. What's wrong, you don't like it anymore?' One of them went for a punch, so I blocked and grabbed the jug of acid with my off hand and threw it at the motherfucker in the middle. Went all over his face. The third guy was armed with a shotgun, so the second that jug was out of my hand and jumped at him and tore the thing from his weak-ass fingers. Killed him with a point-blank shot to the face and the first guy with a few shots to the torso. The other one was rolling on the floor covered in acid, no threat, so I just got the fuck out of there."

Will had managed to hide any overt reaction. "I guess that's what Esparza read about when the bio-scanner picked up your profile."

"Damn good chance," Ralliston affirmed.

"I got it!" Shansa shouted.

They looked over to see Shansa looking back to them with a massive smile. "I hit all five shots!"

"Hey, nicely done," Ralliston told her.

Before Will could commend her on the accomplishment his omnitool buzzed to alert him of an urgent message. He looked down to see a priority one message from Tul and furrowed his brow as he tapped to connect the comm.

"Tul, it's Will. What's up?"

"_It's happening, sir. Holl's brother is under attack."_

Will jumped up. "Shit. Alright, we've gotta get to that mine ASAP. You'll have to pick us up, though. Shansa, T'lees, Ralliston and I are nowhere near the ship."

"_Understood. I'll call Welkinn and start loading gear into the shuttle with Eleena. I can handle the Kodiak well enough to get to wherever you are. It won't be graceful, though."_

"Grace is a non-issue. I want you here in ten minutes."

"_Yes, Captain. Tul'Sorrin, out."_

Shansa, T'lees and Ralliston had stood and circled around him. Will deactivated his omnitool and looked up to them with a smirk.

"Hope you all weren't expecting a quiet evening."


	16. Chapter 16

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 16**

_**ISV McKinley, Sahrabarik System**_

"Commander, I think I have something here."

Ensign Hwang's eyes darted across the data pouring over his terminal screen as Commander Stafford approached him from the far side of the bridge. Lieutenant Prior looked up from his workstation and jumped to his feet as well, coming to stand behind his commanding officer. Stafford stopped at the ensign's side and stared down at him as he worked.

"'Something?'" The commander inquired.

"Yes, from our public communications monitoring systems," Hwang clarified. "We intercepted this."

On the screen was a simple message sent just a few minutes earlier, judging by the timestamp.

_The hand off will begin in four hours. _Hyperion_ is the name. I will contact you if there are any changes to the plan._

Prior narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered the possible implications. "It's not conclusive."

"_Nothing_ has been conclusive so far," Stafford reminded him sternly. "Ensign, where did this message originate from?"

Hwang looked back to his monitor. "Lorek, sir. The recipient was a ship was the _Rak'Sheer._ According to our most recent records, it's just a batarian pirate vessel inbound to Lorek at the time the message was received. No special notes."

"Do we have a silhouette of this vessel?" Stafford asked.

The ensign tapped over to another screen and thumbed through a few panels. "Yes. It was taken by a surveillance device a few years ago and it's a little fuzzy, but it will work for a tentative identification."

"Flight Officer," Stafford called as he turned to the front of the bridge. "Set a course for Lorek." He looked back to Ensign Hwang. "I want every scanner we have searching for this vessel the moment we drop out of our jump. I want to know where this message originated from, and this ship is going to lead us there."

* * *

"We're about ten minutes out," Shansa called from the cockpit.

"You heard her, let's hurry it up!" Will ordered as he slid on his gloves.

The Kodiak was cramped with the entirety of the _Hyperion_ crew as Will, Eleena, Welkinn and T'lees all moved as quickly as possible to equip themselves for the mission. Tul'Sorrin and Eleena had hastily gathered their gear before launching the shuttle, allowing the crew to don their hardsuits and weapons after the quarian had handed off control to Shansa. She had flown them out of the atmosphere to bring them to the opposite side of the planet as quickly as possible and was preparing to aim them back down toward the surface.

"Might get a little bumpy," Shansa informed them as the craft began reentry.

Will grabbed his helmet and tucked it under his arm as he stepped up to the cockpit. He stared ahead through the forward viewport as the Kodiak adjusted its trajectory to send it hurtling back toward the surface of the planet and their destination. Unfortunately, given the location of the mine, this meant flying them straight into the storm. The seemingly endless expanse of dark gray cloud cover filled his view as the shuttle began to shake from the rapid descent. Will braced himself on the frame of the small doorway and glanced to his left to watch Shansa as she concentrated on flying. Her eyes were shifting constantly between at least four different panels as she monitored data from the flight computers. An atmospheric reentry at their current speed was not an easy task.

"Captain, do we have anything on this place?" Tul'Sorrin asked.

"Nothing," Will answered reluctantly.

He turned to see the quarian standing beside him adjusting his pistol in the holster on his hip. "Great. Nothing I love more than running in blind."

"If these guys are just the unremarkable raiders that Holl claims they are, I don't think they'll pose much of a threat," Eleena stated with confidence.

"We've also got the mine workers to think about," Will reminded them. "Our first priority is to make sure they're safe."

Tul stepped beyond Will and into cockpit. "Well, I'm going to initiate some of the automated scanning systems." He dropped into the copilot's seat and looked over to Shansa as her eyes darted around the flight controls. "Wow, Shansa, I'm surprised you still need to look at the controls at this point," he teased.

Shansa grinned, not breaking her concentration. "I'd like to see you attempt reentry over mountains and a heavy storm while traveling well over the maximum advised velocity."

"No, actually, I _don't_ think you'd like to see that," Tul chuckled. "Unless you want your final moments to be spent scolding me for not checking the fuel flow monitors upon hitting atmosphere."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Shansa said playfully. "You'd miss something _much_ less obvious than that!"

As the shuttle finally entered the clouds, Will turned to check on the rest of the squad while sliding his helmet into place. Ralliston was sitting on the troop bench at the rear of the compartment, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and fingers laced together. Eleena and T'lees stood in the center, with the former checking her armor diagnostics and the latter sliding on the final pieces of her suit. Welkinn was sitting on one of the side benches, his hands grasping one another as they lay in his lap. His eyes were closed and his lips moving in silence, leading Will to believe he was deep in prayer. Will looked back to Eleena and smiled as he watched her lower lip fall victim to the embrace of her teeth. The asari was clearly lost in the lines of data on her omnitool. She finally released her lip in time for a satisfied smirk to spread across her face. Eleena tapped a few buttons on the readout and nodded to herself, happy with the adjustments she had made to her armor's systems. Before she lowered her wrist, Eleena's eyes looked to the side where Will stood watching her. The smirk on her face shifted to that of a small smile that matched his own.

"How much resistance are we expecting?" She asked him while deactivating her omnitool.

Will shook his head, the smile still lingering on his lips for just a moment. "No idea. It sounds like this group isn't big enough to attract the local authorities, so I'm hoping they'll be pushovers."

"I hope for a lot of things," Ralliston spoke from the back of the shuttle. "But that doesn't mean I count on them happening."

"Which is why we're _not_ counting on them being pushovers," Will replied. "So as much as the evidence might point to these guys being unprofessional and disorganized, we're going to assume they're just as deadly as we are. Understood?"

"Of course, Captain," T'lees answered as she turned to face him with her armor fully equipped.

The others nodded in affirmation.

"Thirty seconds," Shansa called from the cockpit. "I've got the facility on scope, landing pad and all. It's built into the side of a cliff by the looks of it."

"Any hostile movement?" Will turned back to the cockpit.

"There's a shuttle or skycar on the landing pad," Tul'Sorrin answered as he rose from his seat and stepped into the passenger compartment. "Plenty of room for us to land though. I didn't see any life signatures outside."

Will reached to his back and retrieved his rifle. "Alright, everyone, get ready to hit the ground."

Ralliston rose to his feat, rolled his shoulders and lifted his rifle into position, ready for the action. Welkinn, Eleena and T'lees grabbed their weapons as well, falling into position by the door. Will stepped up to the hatch as Tul'Sorrin reached for the controls and gave them a gentle tap, sending the door open with an affirmative buzz. Wind and rain swirled into the shuttle as the door open, leaving streaks across Will's visor. He gripped his rifle and looked straight ahead as Shansa guided the Kodiak down onto the landing pad, bringing it to a hover just a foot above the surface. Will dropped down and quickly scanned the area. Only one thing on the landing pad caught his attention: a utility skycar parked casually on the far right-hand side. He could see the edge of the pad to his left and hurried toward it as the others unloaded from the shuttle behind him. Will came to a stop and peered over the edge only to pull himself back involuntarily. The mine was indeed on a sheer cliff-face that continued down until being swallowed by darkness some few hundred feet below. He looked up to see somewhere above them was the edge of the cliff, but it was barely visible due to the intensity of the storm.

"Captain, take a look at this," Tul'Sorrin called.

He spun on his heel to see the quarian standing beside the skycar on the far end of the platform.

"_Is it safe to land?"_ Shansa asked.

Will eyed the skycar as he approached it. "Yeah, doesn't look there's anything out here," he answered over the comm.

"_Okay, setting her down."_

Tul stood at the back of the skycar, scanning the engines with his omnitool. Behind them, Shansa lowered the Kodiak to the surface of the platform and cut the engines.

"What is it, Tul?" Will asked as he stepped up beside him.

The quarian glanced to his side. "The engines are dead cold, Captain. There's no way this thing has been used in the past few hours."

Will furrowed his brow and leaned forward to take a closer look. "God, look at this," he muttered as he pointed to the exposed metal thrust directors. "It's rusted to hell. This thing has been out here for a while."

"Have we arrived too late?" T'lees asked worriedly.

"It's possible," Will admitted. "But there could also be more entrances. Tul, is this the only access point Holl mentioned?"

"He just sent these coordinates," Tul answered. "I assume it's the main entrance. Or at least the one closest to the miners."

Will nodded. "Then let's get inside and see what's happening."

Ralliston and Eleena had already assumed positions by the large doorway that was built into the side of the cliff, waiting for the command that Will had finally issued. The turian tapped the control panel and looked over his shoulder.

"No security," he informed them.

"Maybe it's already been hacked," Eleena suggested.

Will, Tul, Welkinn and T'lees converged on the door with their weapons in firing position. Eleena stood to the side and raised her fist, calling forth a ball of biotic energy just in case their breaching was met with resistance.

"Go for it," Will said to Ralliston with a nod.

The turian tapped the controls and quickly strafed to the side as he brought his rifle up and set his sights on the doorway. After a few long seconds, the two metal slabs that made up the door groaned and reluctantly began to part, revealing nothing but a dark, empty hallway. It was at least thirty feet long and surprisingly wide and tall. Will activated his flashlight, which reminded the others to do the same. He stepped forward and guided the light up and down the hall to see that the only thing inside was a door on the far end identical to the one they had opened.

"Dark, abandoned industrial facilities seem to have become a recurring theme in my life since we met," Tul'Sorrin jested to Will to break the silence.

Will, still concerned with the hall, stepped forward and answered absentmindedly. "Sorry. I forgot to mention that they're just sort of drawn to me."

The group slowly made their way inside, their eyes looking over every inch along the way. The walls and ceiling of the hallway were clearly carved straight out of the stone of the mountain, while the floor appeared to be made of metal plating that was fastened into place in large squares. Dormant lights were strung across the ceiling where the right side met the wall with a few meters between each one and a thin wire connecting the chain. Will reached for the door as they came to a stop at the far end of the hall and tapped the control panel. Somewhere in the distance a soft rumble appeared. He realized after a few seconds that it was growing closer and looked around the group, motioning for them to keep their weapons ready. After waiting about thirty seconds the rumbling came to a stop and the door groaned as it slid apart to reveal that the noise had been from a rather untrustworthy looking elevator car. The three walls of the car not facing the door were nothing but a weaved metal mesh, allowing them to see beyond the utilitarian elevator shaft and into an enormous cavern, reasonably lit by what looked like hundreds of scattered chem-lights somewhere below. The squad exchanged a few silent looks before T'lees finally spoke.

"I am _not_ enthusiastic about this elevator," she said flatly.

Eleena lowered her SMG and stepped forward. "Come on, T'lees, I've ridden in elevators less stable than this."

The engineer walked coolly into the elevator and spun around to face the group as she leaned against the far wall of the car with a grin. As she put her weight on the metal mesh wall, the fastenings that held it in place groaned and snapped, causing her to stumble back for just a moment before catching her balance. Will leapt into the elevator and grabbed onto her arm to ensure her stability as she jumped away from the wall of the metal cage and whipped her head back to see the rusty metal plate snap from the remaining fastenings and fall from its place. They shared a quick glance before stepping forward and looking through the three by three foot hole left by the missing mesh panel. Will and Eleena peered down to watch as it tumbled into the cavern, finally smashing into the hard ground a few hundred feet below.

"Oh, yeah, looks perfectly safe," Tul piped in.

Eleena turned back to the four still standing in the hallway. "Okay, so just don't lean against the wall. Easy."

Will placed a hand on the metal beam at one of the four corners of the car and gave it a quick knock with his fist. "Seems fine," he said as he turned around.

Ralliston shook his head and stepped into the elevator without a fuss and was soon followed by Welkinn. The four looked to Tul and T'lees expectantly until the quarian finally let out a sigh and joined them.

"If I must," T'lees finally conceded as she stepped inside.

Will reached forward to the analog control panel near the door and activated the single lever at the center, causing the doors to shut and the deep rumbling to return. The car shook once before it began a reluctant descent, accented with an unfriendly rattling from the machinery above. Will looked down into the cavern once again and frowned.

"Tul, when did Holl's brother send for help?"

The quarian crossed his arm. "He just said that he had received an urgent distress signal. It couldn't have been more than an hour ago."

"If these raiders operate efficiently, they may have come and gone before we even left Myral," Welkinn mentioned.

Will gave him a sideways glance. "Way to stay optimistic."

"Realistic," Welkinn corrected.

"We'll sweep the entire facility if we have to. Maybe they're still wrapping things up." After a significant length of silence, Will looked back to the batarian once again. "By the way, how was it seeing your old congregation?"

The cleric smiled softly. "Wonderful. They were intrigued by our crusade against injustice."

"I don't know if I'd call it a crusade," Ralliston snorted.

A metal thud rang out as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom of the cavern. The car had descended into an enclosed set of walls, leaving them unable to see out the mesh frame. The elevator door and outer doors opened to what looked like a cave with metal panels lining the floor to create a path just like the hallway near the entrance. This path however, was running perpendicular to the elevator entrance and turned off to both the left and right. Piles of rocks and boulders lined either side of the path, while above them was nothing but the vast openness of the the cavern. Will led them out of the elevator and onto the pathway. He peered to the left and right, only to see them veer off in different directions and out of sight very quickly. The chem-lights seemed to be sparsely spaced and not terribly bright, making it even more difficult to get a feel for the layout of the cavern they had entered.

Will activated his comm system and held his rifle to the side. "Shansa, can you hear me?"

"_You're a little spotty, but yeah,"_ her voice replied, accented with static.

"Can you do a flyover and see if there are any other entrances to this place?"

"_Sure. It might be hard to spot visually, but Tul turned on some of the scanners before he left, so I'll keep an eye on them."_

"Thanks, Shan." Will turned back to the others. "Now where the hell do we go from here..."

"We should break into two fireteams," Ralliston suggested. "One group heads left, the other right."

"Fine by me." Will pointed to Eleena and Tul'Sorrin. "You two are with me, we'll take the right path." He looked to T'lees and paused for a short moment before speaking. "Fayneer, you're in charge Ralliston and Welk on the left."

Despite the dim light, Will could see a smile bloom on the asari's face through her visor. "Certainly, Captain."

"Let's move quickly, people," Will declared as he started off toward their pathway. "Report_ any_ contact."

The groups parted soon after, with T'lees waving Ralliston and Welkinn onward as Will hurried in the other direction with Eleena and Tul'Sorrin. The first few minutes were nothing but a winding path, broken up by the occasional clearing of debris where small pieces of dated machinery were being stored.

"Something is not right here," Tul'Sorrin finally decided.

"I don't know, there must be another entrance up there somewhere," Eleena countered. "That place we landed was way too small for any shipping to happen."

The quarian shook his head. "Even so, this place looks abandoned."

"Mining operations can be huge," Will said, trying to remain optimistic.

"Then why wouldn't Holl send us to the place that's actually in use?" Tul asked.

Will didn't have an answer.

"Hey, look," Eleena called as she pointed ahead.

They looked forward to see that just around the upcoming corner was a what looked like a metal prefab rising barely above the piles of rock that lined the path. The trio hurried to the building and gave it a quick inspection. It had no windows, and the path seemed to dead end at the only visible entrance: a door with no apparent control mechanism.

"Tul, think you can get it open?" Will asked as he motioned to the door.

The quarian stepped up and raised his omnitool. "I probably could... if it had any power." He grumbled. "Or if it would accept my emergency power override. This thing is long-dead."

Will stepped forward and inspected the door closely. It was divided into two halves that connected loosely at the center. The gap between the halves was nearly a centimeter wide, but with illumination from his flashlight he could clearly see a seal about an inch into the divide that would make the door airtight.

"Hmm..." He looked it up and down once more before looking back to Tul. "You don't have your blowtorch on you by any chance, do you?"

The quarian crossed his arms. "The one you replaced after destroying the first one you borrowed?"

Will cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, that one."

Tul sighed and reached for the small pouch on his thigh to retrieve the small blowtorch he used for emergency suit repairs. "I'd better get this one back."

"No promises," Will said with a grin as he snatched it from the quarian's hand.

He turned to the door and ignited the torch. Will held the flame up to where the two halves of the doors joined and waited patiently.

"I don't know if that thing has enough juice to melt the entire door," Eleena said teasingly.

Will glanced over his shoulder and shot her look. "You're right. You should probably bring your tool bag along on any future missions. You know, just in case."

The asari snorted and crossed her arms. "To hell with that. I'm not hauling that shit around in the middle of a firefight."

They waited for nearly a minute before Will finally cut the gas flow and held the blowtorch back to Tul'Sorrin. He shone his light on the door to see that the metal had melted considerably around the area, widening the small gap between the halves.

"_Hey, Will! I've got something,"_ Shansa announced in his ear.

Will switched her transmission to include the entire away team as he responded. "What's up?"

"_There's definitely another entrance on the opposite side of the mountain. It's way bigger than where we landed. From what I can see, the docking bay looks like it could handle a decent sized cargo hauler."_

"_Is there any observable activity?"_ T'lees asked over the comm.

Shansa responded after a short pause. _"Nothing. No life signs... barely any ambient electronic activity. It looks dead."_

Will, Eleena and Tul shared a concerned look.

"Did they take everyone?" Will contemplated in a quiet mutter.

"_Couldn't tell you," _Shansa answered. _"I'll keep circling and see if there are any more points of access."_

"T'lees, have you all found anything? Will asked.

"_No, Captain. In fact, this path has been winding on for some time now. What is the situation on your end?"_

"We found... something. It looks like a prefab of some kind. We're trying to get inside now," Will answered.

He looked back to the door to see the melted metal around the area had cooled. He raised his M-15 stock-first and shoved the base into the gap before pushing the rifle to pry the two halves apart. Will grunted in exertion as the two halves screeched in protest as metal ground against metal somewhere in the mechanics of the door. Eleena and Tul quickly moved to help, sliding their fingers into the slowly parting door and pulling on one half. After a considerate amount of combined effort, the door had parted approximately half-way. Will let out a sigh and slid his weapon onto his back. Without saying a word, he turned himself perpendicular with the door and slid through the gap and into the pitch-black prefab unit. He activated the flashlight on his wrist and made a quick sweep of the building, revealing nothing but desks and scattered office supplies. Another door mirrored the one they had entered on the opposite side of the room.

"Foreman's office?" Tul'Sorrin suggested as he slid inside.

Eleena nodded in agreement as she followed. "Seems likely."

Will approached the nearest desk and shook his head. "There's barely anything here."

Tul nodded toward the far wall. "There's a terminal."

The quarian darted to the desk and slid into the chair. In front of him a monitor screen that looked at least a few decades old was lying dormant. Tul raised his crimson omnitool and tapped a few commands in, causing the terminal at the desk to buzz and blink to life.

"Alright, I don't have a lot of auxiliary power to spare," Tul declared as his omnitool remained active to feed power to the terminal. "I'll make it quick."

Will and Eleena slowly meandered around the room, looking over the bare desks and wall shelves. Will opened a few drawers, only to be met with dust.

"Pulled the main databank," Tul'Sorrin announced as he killed the power to the terminal.

He stood from the desk and approached the others as he began looking through the files on his omnitool. Will and Eleena flanked him on either side, reading over his shoulder as he navigated through documents.

"Something titled 'Forward: Future Project Inquiry,'" Tul read out loud as he opened up the file.

The trio quickly scanned the document as it displayed.

_As of this message, all operations have officially ceased at the Kalnita Platinum Mining and Extraction Facility. All business related inquiries will be forwarded to the project manager of the next project, who is now in the process of arranging contract construction at the new work site. Once again, message addresses for this facility should now be considered inactive. Thank you._

"Keelah, look at the date on this," Tul'Sorrin muttered.

"2152?" Will read. "This place has been abandoned for over _twenty five _years?"

"I knew it," Tul sighed. "What the hell is going on here? Why did Holl send us-"

"Wait, what's that?" Eleena interrupted as she pointed to the corner of his omnitool viewscreen.

An icon was blinking to indicate an awaiting message.

"It came in a few minutes ago," Tul'Sorrin answered. "I figured searching this place was more important."

The quarian opened the message and scrolled through what looked like a technical report.

"Oh no..." He said quietly.

Will gave him a concerned look. "Tul?"

"We have to get back to Myral," Tul'Sorrin said as he turned and ran for the door.

Eleena and Will locked eyes quickly before hurrying after him.

"Tul,what the hell's wrong?" Will asked again.

"The ship!" Tul'Sorrin answered as he slid through the door. "It's an automated security message!"

"Saying _what?_" Eleena asked irritably as she slid through the door after him.

Will followed them and looked down at the quarian as he turned back to answer.

"Someone is trying to break into the _Hyperion_," he answered frantically. "And they're getting through my firewalls!"

Will shook his head. "Why would-"

"I don't know!" Tul shouted as he turned and set off in a run.

"T'lees! Can you hear me?" Will asked over the comm as he and Eleena hurried to keep up with Tul'sorrin.

"_Yes, Captain, is there a problem?"_

"Get everyone back to the elevator, _now!_"

"_What's going on?"_ Shansa's voice chimed in.

"This place is abandoned," Will said, broadcasting to the entire crew. "Holl sent us out here so he, or someone, could break into the ship. Tul got an alert from the _Hyperion_ saying that the security system was being compromised."

"_I'm headed back to the landing pad now,"_ Shansa replied without the need for an order.

"_That can't be true,"_ Welkinn objected.

"It is," Tul answered. "There is _nothing_ here! There hasn't been for twenty five years!"

"It doesn't make any sense," Will noted, agreeing with Welk. "Holl has to know we would come back and notice the ship missing."

"Unless he wasn't trying to steal it," Eleena reminded him. "What if he just wants something inside the ship itself?"

Ralliston's laugh jumped in. _"What would he possibly want from your ship? It's a piece of junk."_

"_Hey! Just because it's old doesn't make it junk," _Shansa objected.

"Okay, okay, let's clear the damn channel," Will called out, his voice slightly elevated. "We'll figure this out when we get back to the ship."

Tul, Eleena and Will continued backtracking along the path they had followed until the sight of the elevator shaft rising above the rocks came into view. They sprinted the rest of the way and rounded the corner to see T'lees, Ralliston and Welk already waiting for them. The crew piled in and Will pushed the lever forward, closing the doors and sending the car into a slow climb.

"_Will! We've got a problem!"_ Shansa called out._ "I just got back to the landing pad and I've got contacts!"_

"How many?" Will asked as he reached for his rifle. "Who is it?"

"_No idea, but there's a dozen at least. I see two shuttles that they must have arrived in," _she answered. _"Damn it! They're taking potshots at me, I'm circling around!"_

Will nodded. "Good, stay safe and out of sight. We'll deal with them."

"_Will, they've got you at least two to one,"_ Shansa objected as the sound of an evaded, muffled explosion erupted in the background.

He didn't respond. Instead, he looked around the squad. They were all checking their weapons and armor, preparing themselves for the inevitable firefight.

"Eleena, T'lees, get ready to drop your biotics. With any luck they'll be clumped up in the hallway," Will ordered, speaking a mile a minute. "Ralliston, I want you to lay down as much suppressing fire as you possibly can. Tul, see if you can hack their targeting systems or HUDs, it's hard enough to see in that hall without any light." He looked to Welkinn and nodded. "You and I will watch for targets of opprotunity and take down immediate threats."

With nods of affirmation, the squad assumed their positions. Eleena and T'lees stood on either side of the doorway as Ralliston knelt in the center, his rifle aimed straight at the door. Welkinn stood in the far back of the elevator car and held out his forearm at a ninety degree angle to act as a stabilizer for his rifle. Tul and Will took up positions on either side of Ralliston and held their weapons at the ready as the elevator shook and came to a stop.

"Here they come!" A muffled voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Will took a deep breath, closed his left eye, and looked down the scope of his rifle as the door screeched and slid apart. Even with the built-in noise dampeners in his hardsuit, the gunfire from erupted as soon as the two groups saw one another deafened Will for a good three or four seconds. A flash of light rang out as Eleena's biotic shockwave roared down the hall, knocking a few of the targets off their feet. T'lees unleashed a singularity on the two closest figures: a turian and, more worryingly, a charging krogan. With many of the enemies suppressed from the biotics and Ralliston's assault rifle fire, Will and Welkinn picked their targets. Bursts from Will's M-15 found their mark on the helplessly floating krogan as Welkinn, having noted the same threat, fired off a harpoon that struck the krogan square in the neck. Orange blood burst from the wound as the singularity faded and dropped him to the ground.

"Grenade!" Tul'Sorrin shouted.

Will's eye caught the object just in time to see it leave the hand of one of their foes. The grenade arced over the krogan, but landed on the ground just short of the elevator. The _Hyperion_ squad moved to the side, with Ralliston simply dropping to prone and tucking his head down while covering the top of his helmet with his arm just before the explosive detonated. Eleena peppered the salarian that threw the grenade with SMG fire as soon as it had exploded and caught him in the head with a few rounds, sending him to the ground. The krogan had righted himself and, although now clearly wounded, roared in defiance. He lowered his head and charged straight toward Will. Without thinking, Will jumped to the side, barely dodging the krogan as he barreled into the elevator car and, carried by his own momentum, stumbled past them and into the rear wall. The metal mesh splintered weakly and split like paper the same as the panel knocked out by Eleena, causing the krogan to trip and fall through the now open back of the elevator and into the depths of the mine.

Will blinked in shock, but quickly caught himself and returned to the fight. As he looked back, he could see the remaining three targets were not posing much of a threat. Their salarian grenadier was already dead, and the turian rifleman's shields were flaring and dying. A harpoon soared from Welkinn's rifle, impacting one of the batarians near the back of the group and killing him instantly. The turian fell next as Will and Ralliston littered him with gunfire. T'lees hit the final target with a biotic throw, knocking the second batarian to the ground where he was killed by a series of shots from Tul's pistol.

"They have more outside," the quarian announced immediately. "I hit them with a hack and it automatically spread through their battle network. I see at least eight more affected."

"Probably outside," Will reasoned.

"Fuck," Ralliston muttered as he pushed himself to his knees.

T'lees gasped and knelt at his side as she activated her omnitool to prepare a dose of medi-gel. Will looked down to see the turian bleeding heavily from a puncture wound in his arm.

"That was almost my head," Ralliston noted.

"Get him patched up," Will ordered as he moved into the hallway.

"I'm going to expand my hack's reach," Tul'Sorrin informed him as he tapped away at this omnitool. "Here we are."

Ten red arrows appeared on the squad's HUD, indicating positions outside the door at the end of the hallway.

"As long as they let me sit in their network undisturbed, we'll have their positions," Tul stated as he raised his pistol.

Eleena nodded toward the far door. "I've got an idea." She activated her comm system. "Hey, Shansa, can you do a fast, low flyby in about sixty seconds?"

"_Bringing her around now!"_ She answered.

The asari tapped her omnitool and a timer appeared in the corner of their HUDs counting down from sixty seconds.

"Good thinking," Will commended as he looked back to the elevator.

With the medi-gel applied, T'lees helped Ralliston to his feet as Welk stepped past them and held his rifle across his chest. Will and Eleena walked toward the door at the end of the hall, their flashlights still shining ahead. The timer reached thirty seconds remaining. The rest of the squad hurried to catch up with them and fell into the same position they had used in the elevator. Fifteen seconds. Will reached forward and placed his hand on the door controls, waiting. Five seconds. He took another deep, calming breath and commanded to the door to open as the timer hit zero. The door slid open just in time to hear the Kodiak roar past the landing pad.

The ten markers were spot-on and, as Eleena had hoped, nearly all of them turned in surprise to watch the Kodiak as it flew by. Will only took a cursory glance, but he instantly recognized the biggest threat: another krogan, this one armed with a frighteningly large shotgun. He took aim and opened up in perfect unison with the rest of the squad, unleashing a torrent of gunfire. The krogan, still standing beside an older-looking transport shuttle, roared in anger as the shots impacted around him. As their foes recognized the threat they turned and began returning fire, some of them running for the cover of the two shuttles.

"Welkinn!" Eleena shouted mere seconds after the doors had opened.

The batarian fired off a shot from his harpoon rifle, piercing the chestplate of a human who had just begun to face them.

"Base of the thruster housing!" Eleena called. "Shoot it!"

She took aim on the shuttle near the krogan and fired off a few bursts. Her bullets left holes near the area where the rear thruster joined the body of the craft, marking the point she intended for Welkinn to shoot. The batarian lined up a shot and fired, sending a harpoon into the hull of the shuttle. Will ducked involuntarily as his shields dipped dangerously low and looked to the squad's monitors. Everyone's shields were dropping from the combined fire of the nine remaining targets.

"Lower!" Eleena shouted as she scrambled to Tul's side.

Welkinn took another shot, this one hitting a few inches below his last. A blue liquid squirted from the impact spot of the second shot, spilling down the side of the shuttle and onto the ground. Eleena grabbed the pouch on Tul'Sorrin's thigh and ripped it open, sending the contents spilling to the ground.

The quarian jumped in surprise. "What are you doing!?"

She ignored him and grabbed for the blowtorch that had fallen a few feet away.

"Everyone get down!" Eleena yelled.

As she shouted, she ignited the torch and thew it with all her might toward the shuttle. Will watched with wide eyes as the flame soared through the air and landed in the middle of the pooling blue liquid. A fiery explosion tore across the platform, engulfing the krogan and at least five others in a ball of hellfire. The squad instinctively switched their aim to the three remaining targets not inflamed. Their clearly disoriented foes fell seconds later, leaving only the krogan standing. With half of his body in flames, the krogan let out a bloodcurdling roar and charged. As he made his way across the platform, Eleena charged forward to meet him in a ball of biotic energy. The krogan stumbled from the impact, but threw a hard punch and knocked her to the ground. Before the others could take a shot, T'lees blasted the krogan in the face, tearing him apart and finally dropping him to the ground. Will jumped to his feet and ran to Eleena's side, swiftly offering her a hand as she struggled to right herself on her knees.

"Aggh, damn it," she muttered. "That _really_ fucking hurt."

Will laughed as he saw her shoulder armor plating heavily dented from the impact of the krogan's punch. "Next time you probably shouldn't try to hug the krogan."

Eleena grinned in return and gave him a playful punch as she stood. The others ran forward from the door and into the driving rain. Fire still burned heavily on the corpse of the exploded shuttle as Will opened his comm.

"Shansa, it's clear."

"_I guess that explosion was a good thing... be there in fifteen seconds."_

Welkinn looked to the burning wreckage as he came to stand by Eleena's side. "How did you know?"

Eleena looked at the fire and laughed. "Worked on that model before. The main fuel line is close to the casing for 'easy access,'" she answered, her grin still holding strong.

The shuttle appeared from the gray and came to hover just above the surface of the landing pad.

"Everyone load in," Will ordered as the hatch opened. "This isn't over yet."


	17. Chapter 17

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 17**

_**Outskirts of Myral, Lorek**_

The Kodiak roared through the final turns of a twisted gorge before soaring into the open air of the valley. Will could see through the forward viewport to the far side of the valley where, on the very edge of Myral, he could see the _Hyperion_ still located on the landing pad. He turned from the cockpit door to face the passenger compartment where the squad was standing ready and waiting. Will reached to his back and grabbed his rifle as he stepped up to the side hatch and placed his hand on the control panel.

"Bringing us down," Shansa called from the cockpit. "I see lots of movement down there."

Will looked around the small cabin. "Everyone watch your aim. I don't want any civilians hurt."

"Civilians? They're trying to steal the ship," Ralliston coldly reminded him.

"We don't know that," Will countered as he opened the hatch to gusting wind. "For all we know this was the doing of Holl alone."

Welkinn shook his head. "I cannot believe he would do something like this," the batarian expressed defiantly.

"We'll get to the bottom of it," Will assured him as he turned to face the open hatch.

Shansa spun the shuttle to face the approaching landing pad. The crew ducked instinctively as a burst of gunfire filled the cabin and painted bullet holes across the back wall of the shuttle. Will steadied himself on one knee and took aim with his rifle as the Kodiak leveled off near a maintenance shack that would provide at least a small amount of cover. There were at least five targets visible on the pad and another standing in the airlock door of the ship itself, pointing and shouting over the others. Will fired off a burst as he shouted.

"Ralliston, suppressing fire. Everyone else, move!"

The turian had already jumped into position by the time he finished and was unloading with his assault rifle at Will's side. One by one, Eleena, T'lees, Welkinn and Tul'Sorrin all jumped to the ground and sprinted for cover.

"Go!" Will ordered to Ralliston.

His heavy assault rifle continued to sputter and unload bullets as the turian leapt from the Kodiak and strafed toward the shack, still hosing the target area with covering fire. Will was the last to leave. He jumped to the ground and ran at full speed toward the others, turning back to watch as the shuttle reentered flight and rose into the sky.

"_Circling nearby,"_ Shansa informed them as the thrusters burned and pushed the craft out of sight.

"Looks like we've got more than just Holl to worry about," Eleena announced.

Will nodded as he pressed his back to the cover of the shack. "We need to secure the ship!"

He peered around the corner to see the group of enemies scurrying about to seek any cover they could find on the landing pad.

"Focus your fire," he ordered. "Follow my lead and steady your shots. Welkinn, pick your own targets and take them down." Will looked back to see the squad standing with their weapons drawn. "Eleena, Ralliston and Tul, move out on that side. The others are on me. Let's go!"

Will spun around the corner and pulled his trigger the instant he had honed in on the first target: a turian sprinting toward the _Hyperion_'sairlock. His shots grazed off the turian's shielding, but a burst of SMG and assault rifle fire originating from the opposite side of the shack punctured his armor and scored a fatal hit in his neck. His four comrades were now in cover behind crates and a skycar. They wasted no time before opening fire on the _Hyperion_ squad, focusing their aim on Will and Eleena, the first out of cover. Will strafed and rolled to the side, hoping to throw off their aim. Welk's rifle blasted a harpoon from the barrel just as Will righted himself, impacting a nearby salarian in the chest and throwing him off of his feet. He would be dead within a minute from the bleeding.

T'lees let out a grunt as she planted her feet at Will's side, sending a biotic singularity soaring toward one of the three remaining targets. The human was caught in the field and floated upward just before his armor let out a terrible pop and crackle as sparks sprayed from the back panel. Will looked to the side quickly to see Tul hiding behind a crate and tapping away at his omnitool, overloading the target's armor subsystems on the spot.

"Incoming!" Eleena shouted.

Will looked back to the ship just in time to see a figure had reappeared in the doorway wielding a missile launcher. A plume of exhaust appeared as a projectile shot forth from the launcher in Will's direction. Before he had even realized that the missile was not in fact meant for him, T'lees erupted in blue and purple energy from a heavily but quickly bolstered biotic barrier. The explosive impacted a few meters in front of the asari and detonated with enough force to send her flying backward and clattering to the ground. All Will could do was shield his head from the explosion. He opened his eyes and rolled to the side to see T'lees give a weak push to get off of her back and onto her knees. Will, seeing her shotgun on the ground between them, scrambled to his feet and grabbed the weapon. He sprinted to her side and wrapped his hand under her arm while holding the shotgun in front of her with his other hand, hoping desperately that she was conscious enough to move on her own. Will let out a silent sigh of relief as the weight of the weapon was lifted from his hand.

"My thanks," T'lees said with a pant.

Eleena launched forward in a biotic charge just as Will looked up to reassess the situation. The asari slammed into the missile launcher wielding turian who had been standing in the doorway which nearly flattened him against the wall of the decontamination chamber. Before he could recover, Eleena had wrapped her arms around his neck and spun to throw him clear of the ship. The turian crashed to the surface of the landing pad just in time to be riddled by bullets from Ralliston and Eleena's automatic gunfire. Will looked around the rest of the platform to see all the other targets had been taken care of in the meantime, leaving them alone with half a dozen bodies.

"Get the airlock open!" Will called to Eleena as he sprinted toward the ship.

She turned back and opened the inner airlock door with an override as the rest of the squad scrambled into the small compartment.

"Contacts!" Eleena shouted as she leaned into the hallway and sprayed SMG toward the bow.

A burst of gunfire whizzed by the open airlock door.

"One in the cockpit," Eleena informed them as she ducked back inside.

"Don't shoot in there, you'll damage the flight controls!" Tul'Sorrin objected. "Allow me," he declared as he tapped his omnitool and flickered into invisibility. "Captain, when I say 'now.'"

Will immediately nodded in understanding. The quarian waited until the incoming gunfire ceased before scurrying around the corner, the only indication of his location being his squad beacon. Will pressed his back against the wall and held his gun parallel to his chest as he waited for Tul'Sorrin to give the order.

"_Now,"_ he said over the comm.

Will stepped into the hall and planted his feet firmly while aiming down the sights of his rifle. A single human stood at the doorway of the cockpit with his own rifle leveled at Will. Before either one could get a shot off, the unidentified human's shields sparked and died from an overload as Tul appeared in a flash of sparks at his side holding pistol less than inch from his helmet. The quarian pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession. The first two shots weakened the structural integrity of the helmet, while the third pierced the armor and sent a bullet through the enemy's head. His body collapsed lifelessly to the ground in the door of the cockpit. Will stared in stunned silence for a brief moment before speaking.

"Sweep the cargo bay and engine room," Will ordered as he looked over his shoulder to the rest of the squad. "Eleena, you're with me."

The engineer nodded and stepped up to his side as the others filed through the door and turned left to approach the cargo bay. Tul hurried to follow them, only to have Will place his hand on his chest and nod toward the two doors that remained shut in the middle of the hall.

"Crew's quarters first," Will decided as he led the three of them to the door on the port side.

He reached forward and tapped the control panel beside the door, sending it open with a gentle beep of affirmation. Will peered into the room with his rifle tight against his chest.

"It's clear," he declared while turning to the second door.

Eleena placed her finger on the controls and looked to him for approval. Will nodded once. The door slid open to reveal the bunkroom exactly as they had left it. Will lifted his rifle and stepped in, quickly circling around the meeting table to ensure there was no one hiding. Tul walked to the two doors on the aft wall and opened them, but was only met with empty refreshers.

"What about the loft?" Eleena asked as she motioned toward the ceiling hatch in the corner of the room.

Will waved for her to follow and hurried across the room. He slid his rifle onto his back and jumped onto the small ladder, reaching up to the locking mechanisms as he neared the top. He twisted each lock and gave the door a heavy push, throwing it open and allowing him to poke his head into the room.

"Empty," he said with a sigh of relief.

As he descended to the floor, T'lees, Ralliston and Welkinn appeared in the doorway. The asari stepped inside and nodded to Will confidently.

"We found no other intruders," T'lees informed him.

Will crossed his arms and looked to the side blankly as he considered their next course of action. His breathing was labored and finally catching up from the intensity of the recent exertion. Finally, he opened the crew's comm system and contacted the shuttle as he stepped past the others and into the hallway.

"Shansa, bring in the Kodiak and prepare the ship for departure as quickly as possible. Forgo all non-essential checks."

"_I guess things went well down there?"_ She asked.

He looked to his side where the bloody corpse of the intruder lay. "We might need to repaint, but yeah."

"_Uggh. Okay, be there in a sec."_

"Eleena, Tul," Will called as he turned to face the others. "Make sure the ship was not tampered with. Work as fast as you can."

The asari and quarian darted through the door without acknowledgment. Eleena sprinted toward the engine room as Tul sped into the cockpit and dropped into the copilot's seat. Will looked down to the body at his side and grabbed the boots, pulling it from the cockpit door. Ralliston stepped over the body and lifted the lifeless man's arms, helping to drag it to the airlock. They gave the corpse a push, forcing it to topple to the ground below.

"Ralliston, Welkinn and T'lees, follow me," Will commanded while jumping to the ground. "We're going to pay Holl a quick visit."

* * *

The squad was met with no resistance as they made their way to Holl's office. Every structure they passed appeared to be locked down with the citizens of the town safely inside. Will saw one child's four eyes curiously peering through a window just long enough for an unseen figure to pull them back out of sight. He gritted his teeth in anger and looked ahead. As they reached the town center he retrieved his rifle and pointed it at the door of Holl's office.

"We should seek answers," Welkinn reminded them as they approached the steps. "We must be sure that Holl is to blame."

"Oh, I'm looking for answers," Will assured him as he narrowed his eyes and placed his foot on the stairs.

The squad lifted their weapons as they climbed the short set of stairs and stopped at the door. Will reached forward and tapped the control panel, but was given a negative buzz in response. He activated his omnitool and scrolled through his folders until he found the recent addition by Tul'Sorrin: his pre-loaded hacks. Will selected the door security directive and raised his omnitool to the controls, activating the program. Less than ten seconds later the door panel turned green.

"Be ready for anything," Will reminded them as he tapped the control panel once again.

The door slid apart to Holl's dim office. Virtually nothing had changed from the first visit, but now a familiar batarian sat at the desk, staring at his terminal. Holl looked up and tensed up in fright, quickly jumping to his feet and scrambling away from the desk.

"How? You- you're alive?!" He seemed to be having trouble forming words.

"You're damn fucking right we're alive," Will spat angrily. "Those mercs you sent at us were amateurs. We're not gonna be pushed over that easily."

Welkinn swallowed hard and lowered his weapon. "It's true, then? _You_ betrayed us, Holl?"

"You have to understand," Holl pleaded. "I had no choice."

Will held his sights on the batarian's head and marched across the room. "Why did you try to get us killed?" The sentence was more of a shout of rage than a question.

Holl stumbled backward and pressed his back to the wall. "The raiders! They've taken almost everything," he managed to speak. "I- I offered to give them something... something valuable. They said they would never harm us again!"

"Something like a ship?" Will asked as he narrowed his eyes.

The batarian nodded reluctantly. "You must forgive me. Myral is the last of the four townships we established that is still standing. The others... were our future: laying in ruins. I couldn't allow my people to be raped and murdered like the others."

Will bared his teeth and stepped to an arm's length of Holl. "So all this about your brother's mine was a lie from the beginning?"

"It was just something I concocted as a means to remove you from the equation if necessary," Holl admitted shamefully.

"You stupid bastard. You could have asked _us_ for help," Will said as he clenched his fists.

"There are too many of them," Holl said weakly as he shook his head. "A hundred at least."

"We have resources!" Will shouted angrily. "A private military at my beck and call!"

The batarian looked down and closed his eyes. "I was scared for my people. Scared and not thinking clearly. I am sorry."

Will let out growl and looked back to the others. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

"Captain, wait," Welkinn objected with a raised hand. "These raiders will know where Myral is and they will see this as a betrayal." He pointed to Holl. "They will think Holl lured them into a trap to kill scores of their men and want to take revenge. Myral will be wiped out like the others."

Silence fell over them as Will came to a stop at the center of the room.

"You cannot condemn these people to death because of Holl's misguided attempts to help them," T'lees added quietly.

Will slowly turned back to face Holl. "And what would you propose we do?"

"We can do what Holl should have asked us to do in the beginning," Welkinn answered. "Wait for more of these raiders to attack and wipe them out."

T'lees stepped up to Will's side. "And we could call upon the rest of the Collective for aid if their numbers are as strong as Holl claims."

"_Holl_ fucked us over," Will reminded them. "_Holl_ tried to have us killed in an abandoned mine so he could steal my ship."

The batarian's head still hung. "It was your lives for those of my people."

"Well _your_ life is meaningless to me," Will spat bitterly. "But you'd better thank the goddamn Pillars that the rest of Myral isn't." He looked back to Welkinn and T'lees. "You're right. We can't just leave the rest of the city here to be destroyed."

Ralliston, who had been standing by the door, let out a groan. "Really? We have our own shit to worry about, you know."

"We do," Will agreed. "That said, we can spare some time to help these people. I think the first order of business should be replacing the fucking management around here."

All five of them jumped in surprise as a loud beep rang out from Holl's desk. The batarian looked to Will nervously before side-stepping to the computer terminal and activating his monitor. His eyes darted back and forth on the display.

"Oh no," Holl muttered. "They're here."

Will gave him a look of disbelief. "That's impossible. How could they know that we killed their assault force already."

He rounded the table and looked at the monitor. On the screen was a security vid feed from one of the crop fields close to town. Three shuttles had just settled in the field and were unloading troops, but there was something very different about these soldiers as compared to the raiders they had fought earlier.

"They're not raiders," Will corrected him under his breath. "It's Cerberus."

"Cerberus?" T'lees widened her eye. "Captain, how is that possible?"

Holl looked to Will. "The people who are chasing you? You said there was no way they could find you!"

Will shook his head in disbelief as he backed away from the terminal. "I don't know... they shouldn't have..."

"We need to leave," Ralliston advised. "Quickly and quietly."

"And leave everyone to die?" Welkinn shook his head. "That isn't an option!"

"You're right." Will looked back to Holl. "We can fit as many people as we can onto the ship, but there's no way we can hold off thirty of them."

"Captain." T'lees placed her hand on Will's shoulder. "You know that Ralliston is right. There was no immediate threat before and evacuating the town was the right thing. But now? We have to leave or we _will_ die_._"

Will looked back to the monitor. The Cerberus forces were now running through the town at full speed with teams stopping at each structure to sweep and clear them.

"_Will! We've got contacts firing on the ship!"_ Eleena's voice called through the comm. _"Fuck, it's Cerberus!"_ Her voice clearly redirected to someone else. _"Heavy weapons on the port side, Tul! Watch the hull integrity!"_

"Get in the air," Will ordered immediately.

"_What? We can't leave without you,"_ Eleena objected.

"We'll get to the foothills and stay out of sight for as long as possible," he answered. "If that frigate of theirs is on its way then you need to get the hell out of here!"

"Hume!" Welkinn stomped toward him. "We can't-"

Will ignored him and jogged to the door. "I've made up my mind, Welk. Remember what Ralliston said on Dumarril?" He looked back to the others. "We either save ourselves or we save no one."

"Welkinn, I beg you!" Holl shook his head. "You cannot abandon us!"

The cleric shut his eyes and lowered his head, quietly considering what he knew to be their only option. "I'm sorry, Holl." After a short pause he opened his eyes and crossed the room to the door.

Will felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as Welkinn joined his side. T'lees had already raised her shotgun into a firing position and readied herself beside the door as he turned and tapped the control panel.

Holl shouted desperately behind him. "Welkinn!"

The door opened to reveal the small courtyard and a trio of Myral residents fleeing from an unseen enemy. Will led the group to the bottom of the short set of stairs and scanned the area with his rifle at the ready. He looked up as a rumbling caught his ear and saw the source rapidly ascending into the upper atmosphere: the _Hyperion._

"Targets!" Ralliston yelled.

Will snapped back to the situation at hand and looked to the right where a pair of Cerberus soldiers had rounded the corner of a prefab and were taking aim on the group. The pair dove for cover as Ralliston and T'lees opened fire, sending them into hiding temporarily.

"On me!" Will ordered.

He turned and sprinted away from the courtyard. The security vids had shown Cerberus landing to the south and the _Hyperion_ was due west of their position, meaning they had one safe bet: northeast. Will rounded a corner to lead the squad north and away from the encroaching hostiles.

"So what's our plan again?" Ralliston called from the rear of the formation. "Hide in the woods?"

"Got something better in mind?" Will asked hopefully.

Before the turian could answer, Shansa's voice interrupted over the comm system.

"_Get to open ground!"_

Will began to pant from the extended sprint. "Shansa?"

"_Just do it!"_

"To our left!" T'lees advised through labored breaths.

The group followed Will as he took the asari's advice and redirected them to what looked like a garden behind a living structure. He dropped to his knees and drew deep breaths as he looked around for whatever salvation he hoped Shansa would bring.

"What am I looking for, Shan?" He asked.

"_Get ready to jump in fast,"_ she answered.

Will looked to the sky just in time to see the Kodiak appear from the cloud coverage of the perpetual storm and come speeding toward them. As he pulled himself to his feet a crack rang out from behind them and dropped his shields to nearly half. The squad spun to see at least five Cerberus troops running toward them in firing formation, their guns ablaze and tearing up the garden around them. Violent exhaust threw dirt and flora into the air in all directions as Shansa burned the belly thrusters of the shuttle at maximum throttle, stopping the craft just feet above the ground. Will raised his weapon and fired off sporadic bursts toward the oncoming targets as he backpedaled to the sound of the Kodiak behind him.

"Everyone in!" He called.

After a few seconds of ineffective suppressing fire, Will turned to see the others had already entered and were holding out hands to help him. He ignored the offers and leapt inside.

"Go, Shansa! Everyone is aboard!" T'lees shouted to the cockpit.

Ralliston slammed his fist on the door controls as the shuttle tilted up and blasted toward the sky. The hatch slid shut just as one last bullet made its way inside and shattered one of the small viewscreens on the wall.

"I'm on approach, lock your vector," Shansa spoke from the pilot's seat.

Will sat on his knees, trying desperately to catch his breath.

"_Just using the auto-pilot functions,"_ Eleena answered. _"Set to maintain this course."_

"Welkinn..." Will managed to speak as he looked over to the batarian. "I'm... I'm so sorry you had to-"

"No," the cleric interrupted. "Do not apologize." He collapsed his weapon and stared blankly at the floor. "The destruction of a great evil will always require the loss of innocents. I only wish the losses were not of such magnitude." He shut is eyes and slid the rifle onto his back.

"_Cargo bay airlock is open and waiting,"_ Eleena's voice informed Shansa.

Shansa nodded to herself, focused intently on flying. "Intercept in ten seconds."

"The Collective cannot sit on their hands any longer," T'lees thought aloud.

Will nodded to himself. "You're right. I've got a call to make."

* * *

"_Hume, are you out of your damn head? Your first instinct after all of that is to contact and implicate me?"_

Kallux did not seem to appreciate Will's summary of their time in Myral. Will looked from the screen on Tul's monitor displaying Kallux down to where the quarian sat and gave him a worried look. Tul sighed and gave him a reassuring nod.

"Tul is running real-time interference and traffic monitoring," Will assured Kallux. "If anyone even _begins_ to attempt to tunnel into this call he can cut the cord."

"_That damn well better be true,"_ the krogan muttered.

Will crossed his arms and stared Kallux down. He wasn't sure if the krogan was having a bad day or if he was truly upset about the call.

"Kallux, I need an answer here," Will reminded him.

The krogan let out a sigh. _"It's a bit of a bad time, Hume. We're currently waiting on intel from the Shadow Broker. Intel that'd better be worth the dent in our accounts."_

"And what is this intel supposedly going to reveal?" Tul'Sorrin chimed in.

Kallux's image glanced to the side where the quarian sat. _"Anything and everything he's got. We handed over all the intel we already had, the silhouette of that ship of theirs and a huge credit transfer. We just need a few more days and we'll have what the Collective needs to know before we make our first moves."_

Will looked to the side in contemplation. "A few more days, huh? Can I hold you to that?"

"_Forty-eight standard hours,"_ Kallux replied. _"You have my word."_

"Okay." Will nodded and looked back to him. "Unfortunately, we're low on supplies. Myral didn't exactly have everything a starship needs to stay in the sky. But we'll find something and steer clear of Omega and the whole damned nebula."

"_Good. Tul, our signal wasn't intercepted, was it?"_

"We're in the clear, you big sissy," Tul'Sorrin answered.

The krogan smirked. _"You know, most krogan wouldn't let a quarian call them a sissy and allow them to live long enough to write it down in their diary."_

"Which is, of course, why quarians have mastered technology," Tul informed him. "To insult krogan from a safe distance."

Will smirked and reached for the monitor. "Thanks, Kallux. We'll be in touch."

The krogan nodded as the vid feed flickered out. Tul'Sorrin made one last check of his systems before standing.

"We should be in the clear," he informed Will.

"Good. Now we just need to figure out where the hell we're going," Will decided as he turned for the door.

He reached down to his omnitool as he passed into the hall and activated the ship-wide comm. "Everyone meet me in the bunkroom."

Will and Tul passed from the crew's quarters to the bunkroom and found their spots surrounding the meeting table at the center of the room. One by one the others trickled in. T'lees and Eleena, like Will, had already shed their hardsuit in the hour since they had returned to the ship and donned more comfortable clothing. Welkinn, Ralliston and, surprisingly, Shansa, had remained in their armor. Though the latter was most likely due to time constraints. Once they had all entered, Will leaned forward on the table and gave them a small frown.

"Well, as you all know, Lorek... and Myral, are no longer safe." Will looked around the group solemnly. "That leaves us dangerously low on supplies and without a port."

"You beat me to it," Shansa said with a rueful smile. "We need to restock. Badly."

He nodded, understanding the growing desperation. "I have one idea... but it means I'll have to call in a favor from a friend."

"Are they reliable?" Welkinn inquired.

"That all depends on who you're asking," Will said with a smirk. "Think you can rely on a Spectre?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 18**

_**MSV Hyperion, Widow System, Serpent Nebula**_

Tul'Sorrin drew in a nervous breath and looked over his shoulder. "Message coming in."

Will's arms were folded across his chest as he paced back and forth nervously in the crew's quarters. With a startled look to the quarian's statement he hurried across the room to the terminal. If this message did not contain what he hoped, their stay in the safe haven of the Widow System would be short-lived.

"Play it," he told Tul.

The screen at the center of Tul's set of monitors was updated with a vid paused on the blackness of an empty frame. The quarian tapped the play button and looked up with Will as the vid began playback. They both smiled lightly as a familiar salarian face appeared.

"_I apologize for missing your initial hail as well as delegating my response to a prerecorded vid, but I'm in a rather precarious position at the moment and haven't the means to contact you in real-time."_

Vayren's image looked down at the camera mounted on what must have been, judging by the image quality, a small and inexpensive holopad. He was hidden in almost complete darkness, but his surroundings did appear to present some kind of urban environment.

"_That being said, I believe I can help you, Captain Hume. You're lucky that I trust you and your crew not to manipulate my aid for nefarious purposes. I have attached the necessary clearance package to this message, but use it sparingly. It will not grant you access to much more than an undisturbed berth."_

The salarian's eyes darted to the side briefly before returning.

"_I must go. Good luck with whatever you've gotten yourself into, Hume."_

The vid froze on the final frame as the playback came to a stop.

"I've got the attachment," Tul'Sorrin commented as he looked over to Will. "Nice to see he's doing well enough."

Will nodded in agreement. "Glad he could spare a minute to help us out. Send the security clearance to Shansa, we're nearly in hailing range of the Citadel."

"Done."

"Much appreciated," Will said as he gave the quarian a firm pat on the shoulder and turned for the door.

He made his way to the cockpit where Shansa was humming softly to herself as she guided the ship through the nebula. Will placed his hand on the door frame and listened for a moment as she looked to various panels with a soft, slow melody to guide her.

"Pretty tune," he mentioned after a minute or so of listening.

Shansa looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Thank my mom. She used to sing it to me."

"Thank your mom?" Will grinned and stepped inside to drop into the copilot's seat. "You make it sound so easy."

"You got something against my mother?" Shansa asked, jokingly offended.

"Dear god, no. But that didn't make her any less terrifying to talk to," Will laughed.

Shansa shook her head as she looked back to the flight controls. "You're a big baby."

"To be fair, she did not put up with nonsense," Will reminded her.

"And you were pretty much made of it when we were kids," she added.

"Yeah, yeah," he grinned and pointed to the communications panel. "Did you get the security package that Tul sent?"

Shansa nodded once. "Sure did. Ready for transmission whenever we get contacted."

Through the viewports they could see nothing but blooms of blue and purple that made up the nebula. Will could distinctly remember the sight of the Citadel peaking through the gas formations that they had seen on their previous trip to the station and was hoping they would get a similar view this time around.

"Feels weird coming back here," Shansa mentioned, breaking the silence.

"Why's that?" Will asked curiously.

She fidgeted in her seat idly. "I feel like we don't really belong here. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's an incredible place, but..."

"But it's not who we are," he finished.

"Something like that. I dunno, I just feel more comfortable on Omega. Hell, I feel more comfortable on the ship," Shansa chuckled.

Will smirked softly. "The Citadel has its upsides, though."

"Sure," she agreed with a smile. "It's the only place we've been to where I can put on a nice dress without feeling silly."

"I seem to remember a little black number you bought last time we were here." Will gave her a sideways glance. "Got plans for it?"

The pilot's cheeks flushed ever-so-slightly as she kept her concentration on the flight controls. Shansa bit her lower lip softly and shrugged.

"I might. I've been thinking of..." She trailed off and averted her eyes. "I've got something in mind. I just hope it works out."

Will gave her a curious look. Shansa could see him from the corner of her eye, but merely smiled and continued with her work.

"Guess it's a secret then," Will commented. "So long as it doesn't take you too far away from the docking terminal. I want everyone nearby just in case there's trouble."

"I won't go far," she assured him. "And I'll let you know if it goes well."

He watched her for a few more seconds before looking ahead once more. Will took a deep breath before speaking.

"Ever feel like calling it quits with all of this?"

"'All of this' being what, exactly?" She asked with a raised brow.

Will leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh. "The RMC. This mercenary stuff. Just being a spacer in general."

Shansa snorted in amusement. "You mean like selling the ship and living on some colony or space station? _Hell_ no. It'd get way too antsy."

He grinned to himself. "Okay, good. I wanted to make sure your heart was still in this."

"What? Of course I want to be here!" She laughed softly. "Why? Do I come off like I want to get away?"

"No! No, not at all," Will said reassuringly while reaching over to place a hand on her arm. "I just... wanted to hear it from you. The past year and a half I've gone from spending almost every waking minute with you to having half a dozen people around to divide my attention between."

Shansa gave him a sly look. "Not evenly."

He smirked. "No, I guess, not. One person does get a bit more attention than everyone else, and that's partly why I was concerned. I don't want you to think that I don't care about you anymore, Shan. Or that I've forgotten what you mean to me."

She released a small sigh and finally turned her head to meet his eyes. "Will, it's a _good_ thing that we have other people around. And, yeah, that means we don't get as much time to spend together, but that's okay. I'm not going anywhere," Shansa finished with a warm smile.

Will returned the smile and nodded. "I know. Me neither." His hand moved to hers and gave it a gentle grasp. "I love you, Shansa. I couldn't do this without you." He looked down and shrugged softly. "Hell, I don't even think I'd want to."

She gave his hand a small squeeze. "Same here, Will."

"_This is Citadel Control, please identify yourself," _a female voice commanded firmly.

They looked to the communications panel and assumed normal sitting positions as Shansa reached forward to respond to the transmission.

"Hello! This is Shansa Fischer, helmswoman of the _MSV Hyperion._ We'd like to request permission to dock."

As she finished speaking, Will looked back out the viewport to see the silhouette of one of the Citadel's wards rising straight ahead. The ship pitched forward slightly at Shansa's command, bringing the rest of the station into view.

"_We have a record of your vessel,"_ the flight control offer informed them. _"However, we are lacking some information regarding your crew and enterprise."_

"Uh, yeah, one second." Shansa tapped another screen and glanced over to Will. "This should cover everything."

Nearly a minute passed before the flight control officer responded. Shansa had slowed the ship's velocity, but even so, the Citadel was growing closer at a rapid rate. Will looked to the dozens of military vessels that slowly circled about the station and tapped his foot nervously. If everything went well, those ships would be standing between the _Hyperion_ crew and Cerberus. He held his breath as the comm system activated once again.

"_Your clearance appears valid. Do you have a preference for your berth?"_

Shansa looked to Will and raised a brow. He cleared his throat and sat forward.

"This is Captain William Hume. Something in the wards would be nice."

"_Very well." _There was a small pause. _"Please proceed to the following waypoint. Your berth will be H-5 at Citadel Public Docking Station – 4."_

"Thank you! Coordinates received, altering course appropriately," Shansa responded.

Will quickly interjected. "Also, officer, if we could keep our visit off the record, we would appreciate it."

There was a small sigh from the other end of the communication. _"Very well. Though I must warn you that even with Spectre clearance, such actions can be flagged for investigation by my superiors. The Spectre who issued your security package may be contacted and asked to confirm the action."_

"I understand," Will affirmed.

He felt a tinge of nervousness and guilt. It was hard enough to ask Vayren for help, and inconveniencing him even more was _not_ going to help maintain their amicable relations.

"_Welcome to the Citadel. Have a pleasant visit, _Hyperion._"_

* * *

Will was relieved to have been given a berth in the wards. As beautiful and safe as the Presidium had been during their previous visit, he hadn't felt as though he belonged there. He stared out the window to the ring that rose from the base of the ward. The other four arms stretched out above and around him, almost as though they were forming a protecting embrace. Will smirked to himself as he remembered that protection was, in fact, exactly what the five arms were intended to provide upon closing.

"Ah, the Citadel," T'lees commented as she walked to Will's side.

The two of them stood before one of the massive windows that lined the berth's gangway.

"Guess you've been here a few times," Will deduced.

"It has been some time, of course, but yes. In my youth I would embark on trips to the station quite often. Under the guise of 'business' of course," she mused. "It is a wonderful place, but I did not prefer it to Thessia. I have an affinity for sunsets on the sea." She glanced to him and raised the brow not half-covered by her eyepatch. "Have you been to the Citadel before?"

Will crossed his arms and continued looking through the window. "You know, I have. Right before we met you, actually."

The asari gave him a surprised look. "Oh?"

"It's how we found who and where you were," he clarified with a grin.

T'lees nodded, intrigued. "What was it that did me in? I have always been curious..."

Will finally turned to face her. "Some representative of the Vol Protectorate and Elkoss Combine. We dropped your name and some payment records and he gave up the fact that you were a weapons distributor out of Pugnax on Altakiril." He leaned toward and lowered his voice to a jesting whisper. "I'd recommend not using your real name next time you start a shady business."

She narrowed her eye and grinned. "I was doing nothing illegal in the Terminus! And how was I to know that the Thessian government would ignore Altakiril's sovereignty and send a strike team in to capture me? I _was_ monitoring communications between the two governments, you know."

"Apparently not well enough," Will chuckled.

T'lees frowned and gave him a worried look. "Have we taken the necessary precautions to conceal my presence here? Corsin and Vayren did promise to protect me, but I know they could only do so much..."

"Our security clearance allowed us to bypass customs, so there are no official records of anyone on the crew being here." He shrugged lightly. "I imagine they could have already sought you out on Omega if they really wanted to. The ship has plenty of arrival and departure records there."

"Possibly," she commented, seemingly unconvinced. "Regardless, I will be spending my time close to the ship."

At the end of the hall, a hiss sounded from the _Hyperion's_ outer airlock door.

"Damn, love that view," a turian voice called. "I've got a lot of bars to crash. There's this one place over on the Zakera Ward that makes a killer mai-karil."

Will and T'lees watched as Ralliston and Eleena approached from the ship, looking out the window as they walked.

"A lot of bars you won't be going to," Will corrected him. "Unless they're within walking distance. I want everyone staying nearby. We can't afford more exposure and it's critical we be able to exfil quickly if needed."

The turian laughed. "You're joking, right? We're on the fucking _Citadel_, Hume! You think Cerberus is going to fuck with us here?"

Eleena gave him a scolding stare. "They found us in the middle of nowhere on Lorek. They may be capable of a lot more than you think."

"Spirits, you two are huge fucking downers," Ralliston muttered. "Give it a rest. I've got some people to visit here, points of contact to meet with."

Will turned to face him. "No, you don't," he said once again. "I'm not giving you a suggestion, Ralliston. It's an order. We're playing it safe here."

"An _order?_" Ralliston asked condescendingly.

The turian came to a stop and looked down at Will. He was nearly a head taller and damned intimidating, but Will met his gaze with a stone-cold expression.

"That's right," Will answered quietly. "And if you want to get paid, I suggest you follow it."

"You know, Captain, I'm getting a little tired of your orders and command decisions," Ralliston muttered angrily. "I mean, great call on Lorek. That worked out fantastically."

Will stared him down. "You'd better fall in line or I will leave you on this station when we depart. No pay from the RMC, no carte blanche from a Spectre to keep you out of sight, nothing. We're a team here, and you sure don't seem to what to be a part of it."

"I'm _not_ a member of your crew," the turian reminded him. "What do I owe you?"

"We don't owe each other a goddamn thing, but you sure as hell _answer_ to me right now." Will had remained steadfast and stoic the entire conversation. "Now am I going to have to remove you from the gangway or are you going to straighten the fuck up and act like you're on our side."

Ralliston flared his mandibles and looked to the floor. After a long, silent pause he answered bitterly.

"Fine. Whatever you say."

"Good." Will looked him up and down briefly before turning to Eleena.

The asari was standing with her arms crossed and a patient look on her face, clearly waiting her turn. To Will's surprise, she seemed a tad taken aback by the exchange.

"Something wrong, El?" He asked.

Eleena shook her head. "Nothing wrong, no. But Tul asked me to grab you, said Kallux is trying to get in touch with us."

Will raised his brows. "Damn, that was quick. Come on." He looked back over his shoulder. "You two stay out of trouble. And more importantly, stay out of sight."

He and Eleena hurried to the airlock and passed into the ship where Tul'Sorrin was waiting at his terminal with his arm slung over the back of the chair. He turned to face them as they entered and waved them over.

"He's holding now," Tul informed them.

Will nodded. "Patch us through."

A blinking orange circle appeared on the screen briefly before phasing green and dropping to the corner to act as a connection indicator. Kallux's image materialized on the screen. The krogan was sitting behind the desk in his office, his arms crossed and eyes looking down at the screen of his computer terminal. He shifted his eyes to the camera a few seconds after the connection had been established.

"_Ah, about time,"_ he jabbed.

Will placed a hand on he back of Tul's seat and leaned forward. "Deal with it, big guy."

Kallux chuckled and sat forward. _"We received a small bit of information, I figured I would pass it along."_

"We'd appreciate it," Eleena admitted. "Things have been... a little tense. Some good news would be nice."

The krogan nodded and reached to his terminal. _"Sending some data packets now. Tul's gonna have fun with them." _He turned back and grinned. _"But I'll let you in on the big news: Cerberus is based out of a place called Hephaestus Station and our initial estimates put their manpower at no more than a hundred and fifty."_

Eleena's eyes widened. "Damn, really? That's barely more than Sommesh had. And we took care of them without the rest of the RMC to help us out."

Kallux crossed his arms, clearly pleased. _"We've got more information incoming in the next day or so. __I'll keep you posted so we can start formulating a Collective-wide strategy as soon as possible."_

"Whenever you get something, we're ready to listen," Will said with a relieved smile.

"_You got it. Now stay safe, we'll get down to business soon enough,"_ Kallux assured him.

Tul'Sorrin reached forward and terminated the call. "I've got the data package. I'll start looking through it right away."

Will looked down to the quarian and raised a brow. "Tul, you've been awake for nearly two days straight. Get some rest."

"There could be something useful," he protested.

"And it'll be there in a few hours," Eleena argued sternly. "Get some damned sleep, Tul. You're no good to us falling asleep on your keyboard."

Tul'Sorrin looked over either shoulder to them and let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine. I'll sleep for a few hours, but I really don't need that much."

"A few hours is all I ask," Will said with a reassuring smile.

The quarian reluctantly pulled himself to his feet and stretched his arms with a yawn. As he shuffled out of the room and across the hall to the bunkroom, Will turned to Eleena and raised a brow inquisitively.

"Hungry?"

"Starving," she answered with a small grin curling on the corner of her lips.

Will motioned toward the door and began walking toward the exit. "I'm sure there's a restaurant in the docking terminal somewhere. Let's go see what we can find."

* * *

Ralliston stood with his arms crossed and impatient eyes staring down the inner airlock door. He had spent nearly an hour pacing around the docking station's terminal level in a fit of silent anger before begrudgingly returning to the ship in search of something to keep him busy. The decontamination sequence in the _Hyperion_ was unnervingly slow. He let out an irritated sigh as the door finally opened, allowing him to step into the hallway and make a quick sweep of his surroundings. The turian glanced to his left and walked to the cargo bay door before peeking his head in to look around. Empty.

"Hello?"

He waited for a second before turning and heading back down the hall. He looked into the crew's quarters to find it barren as well. Ralliston narrowed his eyes and stepped to the opposite side of the hall to peer around the bunkroom. One bunk was sealed, indicating that at least one member of the crew was aboard and sleeping. The turian finally resorted to the cockpit, only to see it as empty as the rest of the ship.

"Leave the ship completely undefended," Ralliston muttered. "Fucking brilliant."

Just as he was turning to leave, a blinking green light on one of he side panels in the cockpit caught his eye. He looked back down the hall and, after seeing no one, stepped into the cockpit to inspect the panel closely. The screen was dimmed from inactivity, but the word "Communications" was visible at the top, while the green light appeared to indicate a waiting message. The turian reached forward and tapped the screen to open the transmission. The turian glanced over his shoulder once again to ensure he was alone as the message appeared in text on screen.

_You cannot hide from us. Continue to run, and you will die._

Ralliston's mandibles parted slightly in curiosity. The message had arrived only a few minutes earlier. He tapped the screen again and raised his omnitool, grabbing the data from the transmission and closing out the screen as he turned and walked briskly from the cockpit. He turned into the bunkroom and opened the door to one of the refreshers, locking himself inside once he had stepped in. Ralliston leaned against the wall and stared down at his omnitool and the ID number that was supposedly the source of the message. He reread the words twice more.

_You cannot hide from us._

The turian exhaled deeply and activated one of the tools that Tul'Sorrin had created for the team: a proxy scrambler. Ralliston checked to ensure the comm buoy he had connected to was concealed and tapped the ID number, requesting a live transmission. After only a few seconds of waiting, the connection was established.

"_Who is this?"_ A voice asked.

"I could ask the same fucking question," Ralliston said accusingly. "I'm guessing this is a Cerberus agent I'm talking to?"

There was a short pause. _"One moment."_

Ralliston narrowed his eyes and stared down at his omnitool for nearly a minute until a new voice spoke, this one deeper and more aged than the first.

"_This ID is not publicly listed. How did you come to acquire it?"_

"I pulled it from he message you sent us, shithead," the turian answered.

"_Ah, I see. I was not expecting a response, in all honesty."_

"That's a damned lie. You wouldn't have sent the message if you didn't think you'd get a response," Ralliston countered.

The voice let out a short laugh. _"It was simply meant for intimidation. Though I cannot tell whether or not it worked."_

"Well, I'm the only one who's seen it, and it sure as hell didn't intimidate me," the turian coolly informed him.

"_No one else has seen the message? And your first thought was to contact me?"_ The man paused momentarily. _"Interesting."_

Ralliston closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Yeah? Interesting how?"

"_I'd have assumed that you would want your comrades to be aware of the situation before... this. Unless, of course... you are their leader?"_

The turian laughed heartily. "Spirits, no. I'm just along for the ride."

"_I see. And do you follow the orders of a one... Captain William Hume?"_ The voice seemed almost smug in the assumption.

"Unfortunately," Ralliston grumbled.

"_You don't think he is a good leader?"_

Ralliston opened his eyes and looked down. "I don't care."

"_Perhaps you'd be happier without him breathing down your neck?"_

"Are you suggesting I can't deal with him myself?" The turian asked icily.

"_Of course not,"_ the man chuckled.

"Good, because I've got a fine setup here on this ship. Easy work for good money." Ralliston stared down at his omnitool. "And you won't be fucking that up."

"_You seem to be suggesting a loss on your part. What if you were offered an alternative that benefited you? Cerberus has the luxury to provide... significant compensation to those who help them succeed in their goals. Right now, my singular goal is to find the man you call your captain. William Hume."_

"You _monetary c_ompensation?" Ralliston asked in a lower tone.

He could almost hear the man on the other end of the transmission grinning. _"If that's what you want."_

The turian glanced to his side and opened the refresher door. He listened carefully and, upon hearing and seeing no one, shut the door once again before looking back down to omnitool.

"Alright... I'm listening."


	19. Chapter 19

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 19**

_**MSV Hyperion, docking bay H-5, the Citadel**_

Two quiet, undisturbed days on the Citadel should have set Will's mind at ease. However, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the longer the _Hyperion_ crew went without word from Kallux or a confrontation from Cerberus, the more anxious he would become. Cerberus had sent an ominous threat to the ship's public communication channel mere hours after their arrival, then dropped back into the shadows. Tul had investigated thoroughly and confirmed that it would have been impossible to track the ship's location given the security firewalls he had implemented. Still, Will wasn't entirely convinced that they were in the clear.

The ship was quiet now, with Shansa, Tul'Sorrin, T'lees and Ralliston wandering around the docking station both to search for the mildest of entertainment and to keep their eyes and ears open for suspicious activity. Welkinn sat alone in the bunkroom, deep in the trance of his daily communion. Will had spent the past six hours forcing himself to finish a collection of after-action reports he had been putting off for months. He'd always thought they were pointless, but Kallux and Malylen were adamant about documenting the squad's performance. Perhaps they were looking to pinpoint exactly why the _Hyperion_ crew had such a high success rate on their missions. Will smirked to himself. Hopefully that was not the case. Their last few excursions had not gone incredibly smoothly.

Will finally stood from the table in the crew's quarters and wandered into the hall, looking to the cockpit to see it empty and the flight controls dim from inactivity. He turned to the cargo bay and walked quietly through the door. The largest room on the ship had been slowly growing smaller. Compared to six months before, the cargo bay was cluttered with far more boxes and crates of miscellaneous equipment. They would need to do some housekeeping before long. He made is way to the engineering compartment and placed his hand on the sealed door before giving the controls a soft tap. It opened with a soft ping.

"Well, look who finally decided to stop by."

Eleena sat on the floor with her back against the wall and holopad in her hands. Her head was tilted down, implying that she had been reading, but her eyes were tilted upward to see who had stepped through the door. Will could see a faint grin on her lips as he shut the door behind him and walked the few steps to where she sat.

"I had a lot of paperwork to do," Will explained with a sigh. "I can't believe I just said that."

He dropped down to the floor beside her, pressing his back to the wall as her hand moved to rest gently on his shoulder. Will smiled softly and turned his head to look at her as his hand found her's, grasping it gently and squeezing.

"You okay?" She asked quietly.

Will nodded gently. "Fine. Anxious, but fine."

"I know how that is," Eleena assured him with a small smile.

He chuckled softly and looked down to the holopad in her lap. "Reading?"

The asari looked down to the tablet and nodded. "Yeah, just an old novel I've read a few times now."

Will's eyes lit up. "Oh! That reminds me, I found something for you. I'll be right back. Don't move."

He jumped to his feet, opened the door and darted into the cargo bay. Eleena tilted her head in amusement and waited while listening to the sound of rustling shelves from what sounded like the armory. A minute later, footsteps prefaced Will's return as he shut the door behind him once again and sat down at her side with a book in his hand. He held out the dark-blue covered book and smiled.

"I found this a few weeks ago and completely forgot about it."

Eleena took the novel in her fingers and looked it over briefly. "I thought we had already gone through everything on the shelf?"

Will nodded. "We did. I found it on a box of old stuff that I've been meaning to dump or drop off in storage."

She smiled warmly and placed the book cover-up in her lap. "Damn, I love these old things," she commented as she ran her fingers across the old, worn paper.

Eleena picked up her holopad and activated the translation function before placing it on the cover of the novel to read the nearly-faded title.

"_The Silent, Endless Night_," she read aloud.

Will looked down a the cover with a fading smile. "It's from the 2030's. Maybe the 2040's, I don't remember." He shifted his eyes back to her. "I've only read it once, but I remember it being pretty good. It's about a kid growing up in rural Ukraine, then moving to a big city in central Europe."

"I have no idea what those are," Eleena informed him with a small laugh.

"Places on Earth," he explained. "You don't need to know anything about them, but be ready to get a huge dose of human cynicism. Earth had been through a rough couple of decades when this was written."

Eleena turned her gaze to him. "I look forward to it."

She leaned over and placed a gentle, lingering kiss on his lips.

"Thank you so much for these," she spoke quietly as their lips parted.

"I've been meaning to find some more," Will told her with a small sigh. "They're hard to find, though. Earth is probably the only place to buy printed classics outside of specialty stores on the extranet."

Eleena lifted her hand and gently cupped his cheek. "I'd love to go hunting for a few someday. There are plenty of stores of Thessia or Illium that sell physical editions of even the newer publications. I think they're mainly just for collectors."

"I'd like that," Will said softly.

Eleena could see the fatigue and exhaustion in his face. She rubbed his cheek gently with her thumb before dropping her hand back to his shoulder.

"The past few weeks have been kinda rough."

Will chuckled and nodded. "You could say that." He met her gaze and drew a deep breath. "I can't tell you what it means to have you with me through all of this. Just having someone to sit with... someone to hold or be held by... I need you, Eleena."

The asari raised a brow slightly. "You know, I was walking to the bunkroom a few days ago and happened to overhear you say something similar to Shansa."

Will's eyes widened. "Shansa? Oh, no no... I didn't mean _that_. I was-"

"Relax," Eleena interrupted with a small grin. "I'm just playing with you. I've seen the way you look at her, and I've seen the way you look at me. It's pretty damn easy to tell the difference."

"Okay, good," he said with a sigh of relief. "Really. I care about both of you, but-"

She planted a finger firmly on his lips to silence him. "You don't have to explain. I know you well enough by now."

There was a brief pause as her cheeks flushed a slightly darker purple and her hand dropped from his lips.

"I love you, Will."

He could see in her eyes that the words had been spoken subconsciously, almost as though she meant to say it to herself and opened her lips on accident. Will's eyes soaked in Eleena's expression as her face froze from the realization of what she had spoken. After a few seconds he realized that he still had not responded and parted his lips, letting them linger for just another brief moment before speaking.

"_You_ said it first?"

Eleena's expression contorted in equal parts confusion and disbelief. Will quickly shook his head and raised his hands.

"I- I mean, I love you too!" He let out a shocked laugh. "I just... I didn't think _you_ would ever say it!"

"What? Why would you say that?" She gave him an offended once-over.

Will ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know. You say you're not really looking into the future and you're enjoying yourself in the now..."

"That doesn't mean I can't _love_ someone!" Eleena argued with a smack to his shoulder. "Damn, Will, you need to learn how to read people better."

"Hey, I knew that you cared about me," he countered quickly. "You've told me plenty of times. 'Love' is just a big thing to say, and I just assumed I would be the first to put it out there."

Eleena grinned knowingly. "'Assumed,' huh? So you've felt this way for some time?"

Will smirked in response. "Yes, alright, you got me." He looked down and shifted his weight. "I realized I was in love with you a while ago."

"Yeah, I thought so." Her grin changed to a soft smile. "I think I have too. It just took some time to admit it to myself."

A silence settled between the two of them. They had both averted their eyes in contemplation, leaving only the faint hum of the idle, core machinery around them to fill the air. Will returned his eyes to Eleena and grasped her hand with his, giving it an amorous squeeze.

"You just made a pretty terrible week infinitely better," he told her.

Eleena looked back to meet his gaze and laughed. "You are _never_ going to stop with the overly romantic one-liners, are you?"

Will leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Not a chance."

She bit her lip momentarily as he pulled back. "That's not all you've got, is it?"

He raised a brow curiously before she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him from the wall and his sitting position. Eleena twisted their bodies and pushed him onto his back. Will looked up at her as Eleena placed her knees firmly on either side of his hips and leaned down, pressing a deep, passionate kiss to his lips. Will inhaled deeply as she pulled back, having been caught off-guard by the kiss and looked down at his white shirt and the oily stain now smeared across the torso courtesy of her jumpsuit.

"That thing is filthy!" He laughed.

Eleena grinned and sat back to push herself to her feet. "Sorry, I was working on the Kodiak earlier."

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment as she spun on her heels and walked to the door. Her fingers touched the control panel and activated the lock before falling to her side and finding the zipper that held up her jumpsuit.

* * *

An hour or two later, Will and Eleena found themselves in the crew's quarters eating a quickly prepared meal and talking quietly between bites. The food, part of a leftover dish that T'lees had prepared the night before, held up surprisingly well upon reheating.

"So how much did you get done?" Will asked. "I mean, from what you wanted to."

"Most of it," Eleena answered. "The diagnostic we ran showed a few dozen smaller issues, but some of them required hardware that wasn't available on Lorek. At least not in Myral."

He nodded. "But all the major issues?"

"Taken care of," she assured him with a smile. "Barring any major new structural damage, the ship will be fine for the next year or so. I'd like to run the same full spread of tests on all systems at least every twelve or fourteen months."

"Does that mean a week or two of sitting in port?" Will inquired.

"Possibly. I might be able to spread them out well enough to avoid it," she said with a confident smile.

A new voice rang out from the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't-"

Will and Eleena looked over to see Ralliston standing in the doorway, seemingly debating over whether or not to leave. Will raised a hand and beckoned him over.

"It's fine," he assured the turian. "Just eating."

Ralliston nodded and stepped inside. He walked to the kitchenette and turned around, leaning his back against the counter as he looked to the nearby table where the couple sat.

"Sure I'm not interrupting anything?" He asked.

"Positive," Will answered with a small smirk.

The turian nodded and looked down. "Hey, Captain, I want to apologize for the way I acted the other day. The outburst and all that."

Will and Eleena looked to each other briefly, both of them surprised at the apology. Will cleared his throat and set down the spoon in his hand as he looked back to Ralliston and leaned back in his chair.

"You do?" He raised a brow. "Why's that?"

Ralliston's mandibles twitched ever-so-slightly. "Well, you've done a lot for me. I guess... I owe you something for that."

"Damn right you do," Eleena asserted firmly. "If we weren't bringing you along with us, Cerberus would have found you by now."

The turian cleared his throat. "You're absolutely right. I'd actually like to try and make amends, if you'll allow it."

Will gave him a curious look. "I'll... allow it," he responded, slightly unsure of the implications.

Ralliston stood and walked to the table, coming to sit in one of the seats beside them. He lifted his arm and activated his omnitool, bring up what looked like a long spreadsheet. Will leaned closer and examined the list, which he quickly identified as a collection of items and their associated prices.

"Gardening spade for three thousand credits? Dancing shoes for _seven thousand_? What the hell is this?" Will asked, completely bewildered.

Ralliston leaned closer as if he was worried someone else might be listening. "I've been to the Citadel a few times for Blue Suns business. While I was here a few years ago I made some deals with this guy who specializes in _discount _firearms." He nodded slowly. "You hear what I'm saying?"

Eleena narrowed her eyes curiously. "And this is a list of products?"

The turian tapped a few buttons on the omnitool, causing the list to blink as the far left column was updated. "And when processed through this cypher, we have the _actual_ items for sale," he finished.

The list now displayed the names of various weapons beside the corresponding prices.

"And why are you showing us this?" Will asked curiously.

"Because this guy doesn't deal with just anybody," Ralliston answered slowly. "He's got a specific list of clientele to keep his notoriety and chances of being detected low. I wouldn't just share this information with anyone."

Will looked back down to the list and let out a low whistle. "M-6 Carnifex for _five thousand_ credits? How does he-"

"He's got connections with the manufacturers," the turian answered. "They're all completely authentic. The pistol I use is from him."

"You said you met him when you were working with the Blue Suns," Eleena reiterated. "Is he part of the organization?"

"Not at all," Ralliston assured them. "I met him while I was picking up a bulk order for the Blue Suns, but he's completely independent. Operates in some really shady ways because of it."

"So, once again, why are you showing this to us?" Will asked.

"Because, if you want, I can take you all down to his... place of business, and you can look at his stock." After being met with more suspicious looks he sat back and sighed irritably. "I'm just trying to make up for being a jackass, here."

Eleena shrugged. "Hey, I'm not making any arguments. I just don't think we need anything."

Will raised a finger. "Actually, I could use a new sidearm. I lost my Carnifex when Cerberus ambushed us in my apartment, remember?"

"And I bet you didn't pay _five thousand_ credits for it," Ralliston added as he put his arm over the back of his chair.

"No, I picked it up for eight and a half, I think," Will admitted. "Where is this place?"

The turian paused momentarily. "Well, that's the part you won't like. It's down in the warehouse district. Same ward, though."

"Sounds like a ploy to take care of that business you were talking about when we first arrived," Eleena said with a joking grin.

Ralliston laughed nervously. "I, well... it was one of the places I wanted to hit up, yes, but that's not why I'm suggesting it." He glanced over to Will and sat forward once again. "So what's it gonna be?"

Will looked back to his plate. There was still a few bites remaining, one of which was quickly scooped up after he grabbed his spoon. After downing the bite in a few quick chomps he looked back over to Ralliston and nodded.

"Sure, let's check it out. I'll get the rest of the squad together."

"Hmm, I don't know if that's the best idea," Ralliston noted. "This guy doesn't like dealing with more than a few people at a time. Plus, I don't want him to think that I'm just throwing his name and business around to everyone I know. This is an apology to _you, _Captain."

"Fine, but I'm still going to ask if anyone wants me to buy something for them while I'm there," Will stated firmly. With no objections, he turned to Eleena. "You coming along?"

"Sounds interesting, count me in," the asari answered. "You know, assuming I'm invited."

Ralliston turned to Eleena and averted his eyes for a moment, clearly debating internally. After a few seconds he finally met her gaze and nodded.

"Sure... I guess... I guess you can come along," he said reluctantly. "But any more than four and things might get troublesome."

Eleena eyed him closely as she took a sip of her drink.

"Why don't we head down in about an hour?" Ralliston suggested to both of them. "If that works for you two."

Will nodded and stood from the table, picking up his tray as he did. "Sure, sounds good."

The turian stood and walked toward the door. "Great, I'll be in the terminal until then. Just let me know when you want to head down and we can grab a taxi." He looked back over his shoulder. "The warehouse district can get a little shady, too. Feel free to suit up if it makes you feel better."

Eleena watched Ralliston as he left and turned toward the airlock. As the door down the hallway sealed she grabbed her plate and walked to the kitchenette where Will was sorting his dishes.

"Does this not seem fucked up to you?" She asked quietly.

Will looked over and raised a brow. "How so?"

"That 'apology' seemed... out of character," Eleena explained. "And he wasn't acting entirely normal."

He smirked. "He's a turian, it's not like he's easy to read."

"Speak for yourself," she quickly corrected. "My father was a turian. I can read their expressions just fine."

Will slid his plate into the cleaner and turned to face her, crossing his arms as he did. "What are you saying, then?"

"I'm saying this sounds a _little_ suspicious," Eleena sighed. "Like he's trying scam us, or get his friend to cheat us out of some credits."

"Eleena, he's trying to apologize," Will said with a small laugh.

He reached forward and placed his hand on her arm, rubbing it gently and comfortingly.

"I know it takes a while for people to earn your trust, but Ralliston isn't _malicious_," Will assured her with a small smile. "

Eleena looked to the side and debated with herself. "If you say so."

"El, it's fine, really," he said with a chuckle. "Now hand me that, would you?"

He nodded to her uncleaned plate that sat on the counter behind her. The asari gave him a playful sigh as she set aside her concern and reached for the dish.

* * *

Lieutenant Prior peered through the darkened window of the second-story building he and his squad had taken up position in. No movement below. He was actually thankful, as some of his team was still moving into position. A few seconds later his comm activated.

"_Sniper team in position."_

He opened his mic to respond. "Understood."

The alley outside the window was barren and dark, the ideal place for an ambush. Thankfully, their mole had cooperated with their request and, if all things went smoothly, would soon be leading their target right to them. Prior had been on plenty of missions of this nature when he was Alliance, but he had never executed one on the Citadel. He had researched the location for the operation thoroughly and found that this particular warehouse district had the lowest C-Sec coverage on the entire station. Combine that with the narrow field of fire and empty warehouses for the snatch-and-grab squad to hide

and he had a near perfect mission setup.

"_Lieutenant, report,"_ ordered a voice.

Prior looked down to his omnitool and responded. "Waiting, Commander Stafford."

"_I received a message from our contact. He says there will be a third person accompanying the group: an asari."_

"I see. We'll take precautions and ensure that she is unharmed," the lieutenant responded. "But apprehending William Hume will remain our singular goal."

The commander scoffed at the notion. _"Take no such precautions. Kill the two that serve no purpose, but I want Hume alive. He must be shown what he is responsible for."_

Prior looked down in slight disbelief. "Sir, I don't know if killing his cohorts is necessary. And the turian-"

"_Of all of them he is the most expendable," _Stafford stated firmly. _"We would have found them eventually, we owe him nothing. We could save a nice portion of our budget if he were to die in the firefight."_

"Commander, we..." He looked to the three other members of his squad nervously, as though they could hear into his helmet. "We gave him our word that we would only take William Hume," Prior reminded him quietly.

"_So he is the only one who will know we lied,"_ the commander snarled in response. _"Get this done, Lieutenant. In fact, I want to be ensured that we will not be traced. Kill the turian and the asari."_

Prior set his jaw in frustration. "Affirmative, sir."

* * *

"We could have taken a cab, you know," Ralliston mentioned as he leaned back against the troop bench.

Will looked across the cabin of the Kodiak and shrugged. "This is cheaper. And our records won't be in the Citadel's taxi system."

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to take a cab back," Shansa called from the cockpit.

"Oh?" Will turned and looked through the door.

"I have plans pretty soon." She glanced over her shoulder and made a smooth motion down her body. "Fancy dress plans."

"Ah." He smiled and nodded. "Gotcha. In that case, hopefully the Spectre clearance will allow us to bypass the security on the taxi."

The shuttle seemed to drop for a moment as Shansa nosed them downward and quickly guided the Kodiak toward a series of small docking pads. She slowed the descent and their forward moment dramatically at the last moment and brought them to a gentle landing at the center.

"Have fun shopping!" Shansa called playfully.

Will shook his head with a small smile as he opened the hatch and jumped to the ground. Eleena and Ralliston followed just behind him, and all three quickly scanned the small industrial loading dock they had been deposited onto. The Kodiak lifted into the air once more as the door slid shut, leaving them alone among stacks of crates, cargo containers and alleys diverging in various directions.

"This way," Ralliston declared as he set off.

The others turned and hurried to keep up with the turian as he moved at a quickened pace toward an alleyway entrance at the far end of the open area.

"This place looks abandoned," Will commented. "I thought every inch of the Citadel was used up by now."

"You'd think so," Ralliston responded, still moving on ahead of them. "But there are a few areas that just haven't been reclaimed yet. This place, for instance."

Ralliston led them into the alley, stepping to the left and right to get around the decrepit and long-forgotten debris that scattered the ground.

"Hey, slow down," Eleena called. "What's the big fucking rush?"

"We're already late," the turian answered. "I told him we'd be there five minutes ago."

Will and Eleena shared a quick look and sighed in exhasperation. Up head, Ralliston rounded the corner and looked up and down the street briefly. He nodded to himself and waved for them to follow.

"Almost there," he shouted.

They followed him around the corner to see the turian standing twenty or thirty feet ahead, turning to face them in the middle of the slightly wider alley. Tall warehouses surrounded them on all sides, blocking much of the ambient light from the station and dimming the area. Ralliston pointed over his shoulder.

"Up here on the ri-"

Before he could finish, a loud rifle shot rang out from somewhere up ahead. The lower left-hand portion of Ralliston's torso exploded in gore and sent dark blue blood spraying onto the ground. He buckled and fell onto his side behind a large crate. Will jumped in shock and felt a tugging on his arm as Eleena pulled him behind a column up against one of the nearby walls. The alley erupted in gunfire, most of it directed toward the two standing members of the group. The metal column very quickly began to disintegrate around them.

"Shansa!" Will shouted into his comm. "We need help, _now!_"

Within a second he had a response. _"I'm coming. Activate your beacons. What's wrong?"_ She could clearly hear the desperation in his voice.

"Ambush!" He yelled in response.

Eleena tapped her omnitool to initiate the emergency locator beacon and peered around the corner for a split second.

"Fuck, he's bleeding fast," she said while pulling back into cover.

Will pulled his collapsed helmet from its holster on his back and expanded it before sliding it onto his head. He retrieved his rifle immediately afterward and poked his visor out of cover just far enough to see for himself. Ralliston had clawed his way behind the crate that was providing cover to his body, shielding himself from the other bullets that were split between him and the column that Will and Eleena used for cover. Behind them was the same alley they had entered from: completely empty and open for their escape.

"We need to reach him," Will said decisively.

Eleena shot him a look. "Are you fucking serious? What if this is because of him?!"

"And what if it _isn't?_" Will shook his head. "No, we have to help him. Can you shield us with a biotic barrier long enough for us to get to him?"

The asari clenched her teeth. "It won't last long."

"We'll sprint."

Eleena closed her eyes and pulled her hands together as if she was trying to contain an invisible force, only to have a ball of blue and purple biotic energy materialize between her fingers. As the energy began to expand she released it from her grasp and held her a hand upward and to her front, creating a sphere just large enough for both of them.

"Move with me," she said in a calm, confident tone.

Will stayed directly at her side as she rounded the corner and began running toward their wounded squadmate. Bullets impacted all around them and across the barrier, creating harsh ripples across its surface. Just before they reached the crate, Eleena gasped in shock as the biotic shield wavered and dissipated. Will dove forward for cover as she tumbled to the ground and pressed herself against the metal crate. Both of them had been hit by at least a half dozen shots, but their shields had held.

"Move!" Shouted a voice from beyond their vision.

The speaker was one of four soldiers pouring from a nearby warehouse entrance and running straight toward them. Will caught sight of them on their flank and lifted his rifle, firing off a few shots to slow their advance. He could clearly see the black armor of Cerberus on the approaching targets and swore to himself under his breath. As bullets began impacting around them a loud roar burst through the alley and sent loose debris swirling around them. Will looked up as the Kodiak spun and slammed into the ground no more than ten feet away, directly between the three of them and the four encroaching soldiers.

"_Get in!"_ Shansa shouted over the comm.

The hatch hissed and began to open as Will turned to grab a limp and bleeding Ralliston. Eleena had managed to push herself to her knees and was crawling over to help. Together they managed to grab his shoulders and drag the turian toward the shuttle as bullets whizzed over their heads. Will shook in fright as another sniper shot rang out, this one impacting mere inches from his head and drilling a hole in the side of the Kodiak. He and Eleena threw Ralliston into the shuttle with all their collective strength and scrambled in after him as Shansa threw the thrusters into full gear and sent them skyward.

"Damn it!" The pilot exclaimed.

Before Will could ask what the situation was an explosion tore through the roof of the shuttle, splitting the armor and throwing him to the floor. With one hand he grabbed desperately onto a pipe that ran along the floor and, with the other, onto Ralliston's wrist to keep him from being thrown out of the still-open hatch. The shuttle spun violently as the impact of the explosive sent them into a brief spiral, throwing Eleena against the forward wall the separated the cockpit from the cabin. The asari seized the opprotunity and slammed her fist onto the door controls, shutting the hatch as Shansa fought to control the the crippled shuttle.

"Brace!" Shansa called.

Unfortunately, they did not have time to react. The Kodiak slammed into the side of one of the surrounding buildings, crumpling more of the ceiling but finally halting the shuttle's momentum. Will closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the inevitable plummet to the ground. But no fall came. He opened one eye, then the other, and looked into the cockpit to see Shansa piloting the Kodiak forward and out of the district. An alert siren rang out, warning her of the rapidly dissipating atmosphere and forcing her to dip lower and hug the relative surface of the ward where the external pressure was held in by mass effect fields.

Ralliston managed to turn his head to Will. It would have been impossible to miss the confusion in the turian's eyes.

"You stayed for me," he coughed through blood.

Will looked down at the turian as blood continued to pour from his torso. He shook his head and immediately prepped every dose of medi-gel he had before applying it to the grievous bullet wound. He said nothing, and looked to Eleena. She clenched her teeth in exhaustion and closed her eyes as Shansa coerced the Kodiak to their docking bay as fast as the crippled vessel could manage.


	20. Chapter 20

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 20**

_**First Kithoi Medical Center, Kithoi Ward, the Citadel**_

Will and Eleena stood with their arms crossed, staring at the double doors as they slid shut in front of them. In the hall beyond them, Ralliston was being rushed toward the operating room by a team of medical technicians. With a quick glance to his omnitool, Will checked the time. If his orders had been followed, T'lees, Tul and Welkinn would have already returned to the _Hyperion _and prepared to repel any attempts of aggression from Cerberus. Or so he hoped. No news was good news, he reminded himself.

"What are we going to do now?" Eleena asked with utter exasperation in her voice.

Before he could answer, a salarian medical technician turned from a terminal nearby and briskly made his way to the pair. He cleared his throat and looked between them once before speaking.

"Can I assume the identification and medical history on the patient's omnitool is correct?" He asked to either of them.

Will turned his attention from the door to the salarian. "Does it say his name is Ralliston? Ralliston Kitt?"

The salarian nodded once. "Yes."

"I can't speak for anything else, but I know at least that part is correct," Will answered truthfully.

"I will put down, 'unsure.' Your relation to the patient?" He produced a tablet from his pocket to begin jotting down their responses.

"I'm his employer." Will closed his eyes and placed his hand over them momentarily.

"I see. Well, there is no next of kin or emergency contact ID listed on his omnitool medical data. Would you like us to contact you with any developments?"

Eleena nodded immediately. "Yeah, we're responsible for him."

Will dropped his hands to his side and opened his eyes, looking back down to the technician. "How are you planning to treat him?"

"He is being brought to the operating room to check for any shrapnel that may be inside his wound, but initial scans showed no abnormalities. That and check for any vital organ damage, of course." The salarian had finished writing and was now looking up to Will. "After that he will be stabilized and have a treatment regimen prepared."

"Please, contact me as soon as he's stable," Will decided.

The technician tapped a check-box on his holopad. "Of course. You are welcome to stay in the visitor's center for the time being. If you have business to attend to elsewhere, however, we will contact you via your communicator ID."

The salarian promptly turned and headed off toward another waiting group. Will turned to face Eleena and motioned toward a quiet corner of the room. She nodded and led the two of them to the area that was mostly out of the way from the rest of the occupants of the room. His head jerked to the side as a clattering noise across the room caught his attention. Will's eyes darted to the dozens of citizens bustling back and forth, looking for the gun that was sure to open fire on him at any moment. He swallowed nervously and finally looked back to Eleena as they came to a stop. He wasn't sure if she felt it too, but for the first time in many years, he was scared. A door opened on the far end of the room, allowing Shansa to hurry into the waiting room with her eyes searching to the left and right. As she caught sight of Will and Eleena she ran to meet them, coming to stop at their side.

"I was getting a little scared out on the landing pad," she told them in a hushed tone.

Eleena put her hand on Shansa's shoulder and gave her a reassuring pat. "The Kodiak's not getting any worse. Stay in here with us."

Will cleared his throat before speaking.

"We need to get off of the Citadel," he stated firmly. "Cerberus was able to find us and bring in troops to stage an ambush with no apparent difficulty. This place isn't secure and it sure as hell isn't safe."

Eleena shook her head slowly. "It was safe here right up until the moment _Ralliston_ lured us out of the spaceport. Is it the Citadel that's not safe, or him?"

Will had to admit, the circumstances did not give Ralliston the best odds for innocence. Still, he wasn't convinced yet.

"You think he set us up, then?" He raised a brow and kept his voice low.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that everything went to shit when he led us to that abandoned industrial district, no." She crossed her arms and pursed her lips with a hint of anger.

"Can you explain why they tried to kill him first?" Shansa asked, hoping for a legitimate answer.

Eleena furrowed her brow. "If this really is Cerberus, why _wouldn't_ they double-cross him? Do I need to remind you that we stumbled across them because they were torturing people to death with experimental weapons?"

A few people nearby turned and gave the trio a curious look as Eleena's voice became progressively louder. Will quickly made a motion with his hand to call for silence and stepped to face his back toward the onlookers.

"Alright, we'll figure out what to do with Ralliston later, but we can do it after we get the hell off of the Citadel. The very fact that they could attack us here at all is enough for me to call it quits with this place," Will decided.

"We can't just keep running," Shansa argued with a deep frown.

"No, we can't. But we're not going to be able to deal with Cerberus by ourselves for much longer." Will's eyes darted back to the center of the room. "They're getting better at stalking us, and I'm afraid it's going to pay off for them sooner rather than later."

The asari nodded in agreement. "Then we need to head back to Omega. We can rally Kallux and the rest of the RMC. Plus, we know the territory a hell of a lot better than we do here."

"Sounds like our only option at this point. I don't want to just keep running until they catch up," Will said in a strained tone. "I'll get in touch with Tul and tell him to start prepping for departure immediately."

"What about Ralliston?" Eleena asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

"We can't leave him here," Shansa asserted. "You don't know if he's to blame for anything!"

"That... remains to be seen. But you're right. We're taking him with us." Will shook his head as if he was convincing himself. "It doesn't matter if this is his fault or not; he knows too much about us and the Collective. If Cerberus gets to him, regardless of benevolent or aggressive motives..."

The three of them stood in silence for a few moments until Eleena sighed and began walking toward a nearby chair. "I need to sit."

Will and Shansa joined her, seating themselves at a table that gave them plenty of vision of the room. After Will had called Tul to relay his orders, the group simply sat in silence. Nearly an hour passed as they kept their eyes and ears on alert, following anything suspicious until it proved itself otherwise. Finally, the sight of a familiar salarian doctor stepping into the waiting room caught Will's eye. He sat up as the salarian approached while looking down to the three of them with a small smile.

"Mister Hume," he began.

"How is he?" Will stood and stepped up to face the doctor.

The salarian lifted his holopad and tapped through a few pages. "He's lucky. No major organ damage, so regenerative therapy will not be required, but we will be giving him a significant amount of an enhanced medi-gel solution designed to speed tissue repair."

Will nodded in affirmation. "And when can he be moved?"

The doctor looked up and gave a puzzled look. "He can be transferred to a new hospital at any time, but I assure you our facilities are among the best on the Citadel."

"I don't want to move him to somewhere else on the Citadel," Will explained as Shansa and Eleena stood to join him. "We need to leave. Is he stable enough to travel?"

The salarian seemed utterly bewildered by the thought. However, he only appeared as such for a brief moment before blinking and looking back down to his notes.

"I would advise you not to," he answered.

"That's not what we asked. He's not safe here." Eleena crossed her arms and stared the doctor down. "Unless you want some gunmen busting through the door in a few hours, I'd suggest you let us take him."

The salarian looked to Will, Eleena and Shansa. His eyes fell to their armor and the stocks of the weapons extending just far enough from their backs to be visible.

"As a doctor, I cannot allow you to remove the patient from our facilities without knowing that he will be transferred to another medical center," he told them.

"We're heading to Omega," Will answered earnestly as he nodded back to Shansa. "She was shot in the torso three times and a hospital there treated her with regenerative therapy. I swear to you: we'll bring Ralliston to a proper treatment facility."

The salarian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The patient is currently sedated, so I will have an ambulance prepped for the transfer."

"No," Will argued quickly. "Get him on a gurney and we'll take him to our ship."

"I suppose there's no arguing with a gang of mercenaries." The doctor sighed and shook his head. "Yes. Fine. Give me a few minutes."

As he spun and walked back through the door, Will turned to Eleena and Shansa.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" He raised a brow and looked between the two of them, his uncertainty glaring.

Shansa averted her eyes. "No... but if we really aren't safe here, what else can we do?"

* * *

Will, Eleena and Shansa stepped cautiously onto the hospital's public landing pad. Eleena and Shansa stood on either side of a gurney that floated just off the ground as Will pushed from behind. Ralliston lay between them, unconscious and heavily bandaged around the torso. Will looked down to stall 15 where their Kodiak had landed and felt his stomach begin to churn as he caught sight of a C-Sec skycar idling on the opposite side of the gnarled shuttle. Two C-Sec officers looked over the craft until one of them spotted the approaching group.

"Can I help you, officers?" Will asked as he came to a stop a few feet from the Kodiak.

The two uniformed officials, a human female and a male turian, turned their attention to Will and Eleena. The woman was light skinned with inky black hair and sharp, green eyes sitting atop thin cheekbones. Her partner, the turian, was dark in skin tone with two gray stripes running long his mandibles. Both were dressed in slick C-Sec uniforms.

"Let's hope so," the turian said sternly while turning to face them. "I'm Sergeant Andrus Trivintian, this is my partner, Officer Samantha Holder. Is this your shuttle?"

"It is." Will held his chin up and nodded. "William Hume. What's the problem?"

"We've received multiple reports of gunfire and property damage from the warehouse district," the female officer explained. "Several witnesses ID'd your shuttle leaving the suspected scene of the incident."

Will shared a quick look with Shansa. She shrugged helplessly.

"Well, I can't deny those things occurred," Will finally replied. "But I _will_ deny blame. We were attacked without provocation by a group named Cerberus."

Officer Holder gave her partner a sideways glance. "Unprovoked. It's always unprovoked, isn't it?"

"Seems I hear it just about every day," Trivintian answered as he slowly stepped around Will and Eleena, eying them up and down. "You two have some pretty nice equipment. Military-grade, even. Now why would you be dressed like that on a nice place like the Citadel?"

"We work mainly in the Terminus," Eleena explained irritably. "Heading around town decked in our combat gear is a force of habit."

"Furthermore," Will interjected, "I'd like for you to explain why we would smash our own Kodiak into a building. We barely made it here alive! Cerberus has been pursuing me and my crew for over a month now!"

"Calm down, Mister Hume," Officer Holder ordered.

Trivintian came to a stop in front of the trio. He looked down to the unconscious turian laying on the gurney and crossed his arms.

"Friend of yours?"

Will nodded. "That's right. He's a member of our crew and you're endangering his life by preventing us from returning to our ship."

The sergeant ignored the latter half of the response.

"We'll be investigating the scene of this 'unprovoked attack,'" he declared. "And we'll be documenting all of you as potential perpetrators. When we've gathered a sufficient amount of evidence we will contact you with instructions for the next step in the legal process. Given the severity of the incident, you are required to remain on the Citadel until the review process so you can be detained if needed." The turian motioned his partner forward. "Holder."

She approached Will and Eleena and produced a holopad from her belt as Trivintian turned and walked to get a closer look at the Kodiak. Shansa stood to the side and watched him with as cooperative an expression as she could muster. Officer Holder looked to Will first.

"Sir, please activate your omnitool," she requested flatly.

Will took a deep breath and shook his head quickly.

"No," he answered in defiance. "My crew and I don't have time for this. I've already told you what happened and I'm not going to sit around while the people hunting claw their way closer. I'm sure as hell not going to sit here on the Citadel so you can _think _about detaining me. For all I know, they're getting ready to blow up our ship in its berth as we speak." Will brought up his omnitool and retrieved his security package. "Take this if you need more proof that I'm not at fault."

Officer Holder had narrowed her eyes at the challenging tone. She looked down to the security clearance that Vayren had sent them and scoffed. Sergeant Trivintian had overheard the confrontation and returned to the group with his hand resting cautiously on his pistol's holster.

"You think this gets you off the hook?" The turian laughed as he read the security clearance. "I don't give a damn what a Spectre half-way across the galaxy says you can or can't do! If he wants to throw around that authority he can do it _here_." He looked to his partner and nodded toward Will and Eleena. "Take these two into custody. We'll be holding them until the investigation is complete. Find out where this ship of theirs is docked and have it grounded." He looked down to Ralliston. "And get this man back into the hospital. I've got plenty of reason to suspect this is an abduction."

Will cursed under his breath. There was no way he was going to push his luck with Vayren's already generous aid. He swallowed hard as a realization settled over him: he had run out of time and options. He reached to his back and grabbed his rifle. Eleena followed his every movement and drew her SMG at the same time. Shansa gasped raised a hand in desperate protest.

"Will, no!" She called.

"Woah!" The turian officer shouted as he and his partner stepped back. "Drop your weapons, immediately!"

Thankfully, the two officers were dressed in nothing but their standard fatigues and carried only sidearms. They were in no position to fight.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you, I mean that, but this is out of my hands," Will shouted firmly. "I can't let you to put my crew at risk of being trapped on this station with a murderous paramilitary organization! A group which you just let walk into the wards with heavy weaponry!"

"I don't see much of a difference between them and you right now," Officer Trivintian scowled. "Drop the weapon and come along or this will end _very_ poorly for you."

Eleena gave him a sideways glance. "Will..."

Adrenaline was driving his heart-rate to unprecedented speeds. He reached down and activated his omnitool to use one of Tul's hacks, jamming the outbound communications of the two officers. He looked to Eleena and Shansa before motioning toward the gurney.

"Get Ralliston in the shuttle," he ordered.

Eleena nodded and holstered her weapon while running to the back and giving a push. Shansa pressed her back to the Kodiak and took in a few anxious breaths before reaching up to open the side hatch of the shuttle. Will slowly sidestepped toward the mangled Kodiak, keeping his rifle pointed toward the two officers as he moved. He his finger lay flush against the side of his weapon to maintain his trigger discipline. He truly did not want to hurt these C-Sec officers.

"You better hope that ship you've got is fast," Trivintian muttered

"Not as fast as your ships," Will admitted. "But you won't be telling anyone about us for a few minutes."

Behind him, Shansa and Eleena had already loaded Ralliston into the Kodiak and secured the gurney in place. He jumped in behind them and placed his hand firmly on the door frame as Shansa dropped into the pilot's seat and activated the shuttle's thrusters. Will stared down at the officers as they kicked up from the ground and into the air. As the Kodiak gained speed and set course for the _Hyperion, _he could see the two of them attempting to use their comm systems.

"They'll just call from inside the hospital," Eleena said as she closed the door.

Will turned as the hatch nearly slid shut, then ground to a halt before the damaged tracks could lead the pieces into position.

"I hope the emergency line is busy."

* * *

"Comm channels indicate a corvette is being called to intercept," Tul'Sorrin announced from the copilot's seat.

Will's fingers gripped the bulkhead of the cockpit door.

"How far out are they?"

"Too far," Shansa answered with a quick glance to the nav panel. "We'll be at the relay in just under two minutes."

"What the hell has been going on the past few hours?" Tul asked with a glance over his shoulder.

Will closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to rest on the wall of the hallway. "I'll explain when we're out of the Serpent Nebula."

"I have our route to Omega set," Shansa mentioned. "Should be about fourteen hours."

She tapped her finger on an empty metal pane as the ship sailed forward on the automated approach system. Will turned his eyes back to the cockpit and frowned. She still wore her black dress, having never gotten the chance to attend whatever she had planned before Cerberus cut their stay short. He lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Let me know if you need anything," he said quietly.

Shansa activated the ship-wide comm. "Everyone secure yourselves. We're hitting the relay to the Eagle Nebula in fifteen seconds."

Will waited patiently as the _Hyperion_ entered the relay's grasp. In the blink of an eye they had exited the jump in the relative safety of the Eagle Nebula. Seeing Shansa and Tul busy with their own work, Will turned and hurried down the hallway to the cargo bay. He stepped in to see Welkinn staring up at the Kodiak as Eleena crawled across the roof, muttering to herself.

"How bad is it?" He asked as he crossed the room.

"Pretty fucking bad," Eleena answered. "This thing isn't spaceworthy, that's for damn sure. The fuselage is torn all to hell, the thrusters are barely holding on." She shook her head and sat back, looking down at the two of them. "I can't do the structural repairs, and the thrusters are going to need supplies from Omega."

"In that case, it's a good thing we are seeking aid from your cohorts," Welkinn mentioned.

"Yeah, and this help is long overdue," Will sighed. "It's time the RMC did what we've been building it to do."

Eleena gave him a cynical grin. "Save our asses?"

"Fuck up people like Cerberus," Will corrected her with a small smirk.


	21. Chapter 21

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 21**

_**MSV Hyperion, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System**_

"Do you think he is to blame?"

Will looked over his shoulder to see Welkinn standing in the doorway of the bunkroom, all four eyes focused on the sedated turian resting in the the bottom right bunk. Will sat in a chair a few feet from him with a rifle propped up against the leg, allowing him to watch over their wounded shipmate.

"I don't know. Tul's looking at his omnitool data right now," he answered.

"What are you expecting to find?" The batarian asked while slowly walking into the room.

Will shook his head and looked back to Ralliston. "Damn it, I don't know, Welk."

The crew had been understandably upset by the prospect of Ralliston's potential betrayal. This had prompted Will to spend the entire return flight to Omega at the turian's bedside, waiting for him to regain consciousness. Apparently, the sedatives he had been given were potent as he was still down and out. Despite the disturbing possibility of Ralliston's disloyalty, the crew was already preparing for the campaign against Cerberus. Eleena and T'lees had spent much of the flight in the cargo bay, honing their biotics. Welkinn had spent the majority of the trip preparing prayers and blessings for everyone; something Will did not exactly buy into, but still appreciated.

"What will be done with him if your suspicions are true?" Welkinn asked, having come to a stop at Will's side.

"That's for the RMC to figure out," he answered. "If he was never part of the crew, as he so adamantly claimed, then I don't want to deal with handing out his punishment."

Welkinn crossed his arms. "Interesting. I would relish the opprotunity to exact retribution."

"Guess that makes us different people. Let's deal with Cerberus first," Will suggested with a small chuckle.

"Of course." The batarian looked down to Will. "Would you like me to oversee him for the remainder of the trip?"

Will gave him a suspicious look.

Welkinn smiled earnestly. "I have no intention of harming him."

"Yeah, okay," Will sighed. "But let me know _immediately_ if he wakes up."

He pulled himself to his feet and stretched his arms and legs as far as they would reach. Will gave the cleric a thankful pat on the back as he turned and walked through the door to the hallway. Into the crew's quarters he could see Tul'Sorrin busy at his terminal as Shansa sat at his side, watching curiously and pointing every so often to inquire about his work. Will smiled weakly and turned aft, making his way to the cargo bay where the low thump of a small and contained biotic field began to dissipate. He stepped in and watched curiously as T'lees and Eleena stood beside one another near the starboard wall talking between one another. A soft, ambient glow surrounded the two of them as their biotics remained heightened and on alert. Eleena caught sight of Will as he entered the room and waved him over.

"I hope you two aren't planning to blow a hole in the side of the ship," he joked with a hint of genuine concern.

"Captain, please," T'lees responded with a small laugh. "Eleena and I are trained biotics. We know our strength well enough to contain it."

Will came to a stop a few feet away. "If you say so. I never see you two actually practice your biotics."

"For a while we didn't need to," Eleena informed him. "But these recent engagements after six months of dwindling combat missions made us both realize that we were starting to get sloppy."

"That, and we were not operating to our full potential," T'lees added with a wicked grin. "Biotic commandos train in pairs or as full groups. This gives them a full understanding of their comrade's capabilities. It also allows them to hone their biotic synergy."

"Meaning...?" Will raised a brow.

"Biotic fields can interact in some pretty fucking deadly ways if you know what you're doing," Eleena explained. "If I locked someone up in a stasis and T'lees decided to hit the poor fucker with a throw, the fields would corrupted and tear apart. Along with whoever was inside."

Will nodded slowly. "I see. Remind me to stay away from you two if you ever get into a fight."

The two asari looked to one another and exchanged grins.

"A friendly duel showcasing biotic prowess actually sounds quite exhilarating," T'lees asserted challengingly.

Eleena laughed. "Oh, Fayneer, I've been waiting for you to say that for _months_."

"And let's hold onto that idea for _after_ we've wiped out Cerberus," Will quickly interjected.

T'lees smiled pleasantly. "But of course."

"Thanks. The last thing we need right now is you two roughhousing and putting an eye out." He took a step back as T'lees turned to him and narrowed her eye. "Sorry... bad choice of words."

* * *

Kallux sighed heavily as he stepped through the door of his apartment. The space was small and utilitarian, but it provided everything he needed. Faint orange light shone through the blinds over the windows to cast long, misshapen shadows across the floor of his living space. He froze in place. He was certain that he had left the blinds completely shut when he left home hours before. Kallux quietly reached to the holster on his waist and drew his pistol as he took another step into the room and shut the door behind him. The living room and kitchenette appeared empty, but the door to his bedroom and study was shut. He held his aim on the door as he approached, reaching with his off-hand to tap the unlocked control panel. With a soft ping the two halves of the door parted and he stepped through with bared teeth, ready for whatever lay inside. He swung to the left where his bed sat undisturbed: nothing. As Kallux turned to the right his hands guided his pistol to a figure sitting in the chair beside his desk, holding the aim for just a moment.

"Damn it, Hume!" The krogan exclaimed as he dropped the gun to his side. "I could've put a bullet between your eyes."

Will sat with one arm resting casually on the desk as he watched Kallux with an amused smirk. "But you didn't. You wouldn't fire without identifying your target."

Kallux shook his head in exasperation and holstered his weapon. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Great to see you too, buddy," Will chuckled sarcastically as he jumped to his feet. "I didn't want to show up at the Collective's front door and lead Cerberus into our base of operations, so I took the tunnels and sneaked into your building."

"Well, I appreciate the foresight," the krogan admitted. "You left the Citadel early?"

"Not because we wanted to," he answered. "Cerberus caught up to us."

Kallux nodded slowly in understanding and lowered his eyes. "I'm glad you got away safely, then."

"Barely. And it won't be long until they find us on Omega." Will began pacing. "Kallux, I'm guessing you know why I'm here?"

The krogan said nothing.

"It's time we stop avoiding what needs to be done. The crew and I can't keep stringing Cerberus along forever. They're getting closer to us one step at a time, and pretty soon we'll be on the same footing." He stopped and looked to the krogan. "I think it's time we turned the tables on these bastards."

The krogan was still looking down as Will finished speaking. After a few seconds of silence he looked up.

"What are you proposing?" He asked.

Will crossed his arms and raised a brow. "I thought it was kind of obvious... bring the RMC to full combat readiness and fight Cerberus head-on."

It only took a second for Will to see the answer hanging on the krogan's scaled lips, and he knew it wasn't going to be what he needed to hear.

"Hume, we received the rest of the intel from the Shadow Broker," Kallux said carefully. "Cerberus isn't what we were expecting."

Will tried his best to act unfazed. "Meaning?"

"Just the rough estimates we have indicate that Cerberus as a whole outnumbers us at least five to one, and the cell you've pissed off is at least a hundred strong."

"Where is this going, Kallux?" Will's breathing had a hint of strain.

The krogan raised a hand to cover his eyes momentarily. He let out a pained sigh and shook his head as he turned to lean against the wall.

"We don't have the numbers to do this. Even if we could take on the hundred chasing you, the rest of the organization would take notice and intervene." Kallux shrugged helplessly. "We can't become openly opposed to these people."

Will shook his head and stepped forward. "What the _fuck_ am I supposed to do then, Kallux? We can't keep running from them."

Kallux clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth. "I don't know! Find a place completely under the radar and stay in the shadows."

"We already did that!" Will shouted angrily, no longer inhibiting his emotions. "We went to Lorek and they found us!"

The krogan grunted. "The only other option I see..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "You could dump the _Hyperion_. Find some backwater planet, get rid of the ship and fly the Kodiak back here. The Collective can help doctor your identification. We can get you all new names and ID numbers so you can lay low while the RMC continues to gather momentum. I'm certain we'll be at the capacity to take on Cerberus in a few years."

Will laughed indignantly. "Dump my ship and tell the crew to assume new identities?" He gave Kallux a bewildered stare. "And then what? Wait a 'few years' until you think you're ready? How long is a few, Kallux?"

He muttered quietly. "Given the recent growth rates... five years? Maybe seven?"

"I'm not a krogan, Kallux; I don't have five years to just throw away!" Will turned and stomped to the other side of the room angrily. "You're really going to do this?" He looked back over his shoulder. "You're going to fuck over all of us?"

"This isn't about you or the others!" Kallux roared defiantly. "This is about what _we _have built! I can't throw it all away, Hume. Not because you had to shoot up that facility on Garvug when I told you explicitly to provide reconnaissance!"

Will pointed an accusatory finger and Kallux for a long moment before shaking his fist and stepping back, dropping his hand to his side.

"I've had your back since the fucking moment you stepped aboard my ship," he managed to say, his tone soaked in disbelief. "I thought you had mine."

"You think this is easy? That this is what I want to tell you? There is _nothing_ else I can do, Hume," Kallux grumbled through gravelly words. "I've already looked into some people on the black market who can handle your ID numbers-"

"Fuck that," Will interrupted firmly. "We'll deal with this shit on our own. We handled Sommesh just fine, we can handle Cerberus."

Kallux stared him down. "Hume... Will, please don't-"

As he spoke, Will stepped past him and through the door. Kallux watched helplessly as Will exited the apartment and shut the door behind him. Kallux dropped into his desk chair and placed put his head in his palms, staring down to the floor.

* * *

Will glanced over his shoulder briefly as he held up his omnitool to the security scanner. It beeped approvingly, allowing the door to the _Hyperion_'s docking bay to open with a soft hiss. Convinced that no one was watching him, Will turned to the door and passed into the docking facility to see Shansa and Tul'Sorrin standing at the cargo door with a large container being held between them.

"Need a hand?" Will asked as he hurried toward them.

Shansa nodded as she and Tul walked the crate into the open cargo airlock. "Could you get the door for us?"

"Sure." Will answered as he stepped into the decontamination chamber with them.

He closed the outer airlock door and began the entry sequence before turning to face them.

"Ralliston is at the med center," Tul informed him immediately. "He still hasn't regained consciousness."

Will only nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay."

Shansa furrowed her brow. "What's wrong, Will?"

The decontaminating mist finished filtering as the inner airlock door began to slide open. Will motioned the others forward. Shansa and Tul carried the crate inside and dropped it with grunts of exertion before turning to face him, waiting for an answer. Will anxiously ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged.

"We're on our own," he finally answered.

Shansa's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"The RMC can't get involved," Will elaborated. "Cerberus is too much for them. Kallux is leaving us to fend for ourselves."

"Kallux? That's... he wouldn't," Tul objected as he stepped forward.

"He suggested we fall off the radar. Ditch the ship and get new IDs so we can live out of sight until _maybe_ the RMC has the manpower to confront Cerberus." Will gave them a spiteful look. "Only five or so years, Kallux says."

Shansa's hands found each other and began fidgeting nervously. "We can't just sit and hide for five years," she protested weakly.

"That's what I told him," Will replied. "But, as he claims, it's out of his hands. We're on our own."

Tul crossed his arms and tapped his foot nervously. "What are we going to do?"

Will set his jaw bravely. "We're going to take down Cerberus by ourselves."

"Will..." Shansa shook her head. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Will snapped. "Kallux said the cell we're dealing with is only about a hundred people. That's practically the size of Project Sommesh and we destroyed them on our own. All we need is a plan. An attack they won't expect."

Tul shrugged. "How are we going to formulate a plan against someone we know nothing about?"

Will's expression finally changed to something of confidence. "We're not in the dark anymore." He activated his omnitool. "The Collective purchased over a million credits worth of intel on them. I snagged all of it off of the RMC's data center on my way here." Will transferred the information to Tul and gave him a nod. "We'll find their weakness and exploit it."

"Is this really our only option?" Tul asked apprehensively.

"It's either this or we live the next five to ten years of our lives hiding," Will answered.

The quarian opened his omnitool to retrieve the data. As he stared down at the file summaries he nodded in defeated agreement.

"We should get started on this right away," Tul decided. "I suggest we circle the system in FTL until we've got something, only exiting to discharge our static buildup."

"Flying in circles," Shansa said with a sigh. "My favorite."

"As soon as Eleena, T'lees and Welkinn get back from the market I'll give them the rundown and we can leave." Will set off for the forward hall.

As Shansa and Tul fell in behind him a buzz rang out from the security program on Tul's omnitool.

"Captain," he said slowly.

Will looked over his shoulder as they passed into the hallway. "Listening."

"There's someone outside," the quarian finished. "Someone not on the approved access list."

The three of them came to a halt in front of the passenger airlock. Will's eyes were the first to fall on the door. For safety, he and Shansa were already dressed in their combat gear, giving him no reservations against opening the door and stepping inside.

"Weapons ready," he ordered.

Shansa and Tul were one step ahead of him. Both had their weapons drawn and pointed at the outer airlock door as they stepped inside. Will grabbed his rifle from his back and reached over to open the door. He drew in a calming breath as the airlock opened. Will stared ahead to see a man standing at the center of the room in black pants and a plain, blue shirt. He was tall and athletically built with olive skin, jet-black hair and piercing brown eyes. Will pointed his rifle at the man out of caution and stepped out of the airlock and into the private dock.

"Who are you?" He demanded immediately.

The man stood motionless with his arms at his sides. "Name's Lieutenant Yussef Prior. I'm part of the team that's hunting you, Captain Hume."

Will exhaled sharply and steadied his aim. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to offer you some advice. Something that might help you out of this," the lieutenant informed them.

"Why should we trust you?" Shansa asked.

"You don't even know what I'm here to say and you're already doubting my trustworthiness?" He asked, almost offended.

Will rolled his eyes. "Fine. Make your offer."

"I haven't been on this project for long," Prior informed them. "But I already know this isn't a place I can operate. Hephaestus has gone too far in many aspects." He crossed his arms. "I've put in my request to be transferred to a different division of Cerberus."

"Hold on. You've seen what your people are doing to aliens and you're still going to stay with them?" Tul'Sorrin asked.

The lieutenant nodded. "Of course. No one else is doing what Cerberus is. Their tactics may be extreme and in rare cases, cruel, but humanity deserves better than the hand it was dealt. Cerberus is our chance to change that."

"Humanity has been dealt a pretty damn good hand," Will argued intently. "And what does humanity have to do with this? Is this part of the logic you use to justify torturing aliens?"

Prior seemed to pause briefly before responding, perhaps adjusting his argument to their apparent knowledge of Cerberus. "You're old enough to remember what First Contact was like. The turians treated us like animals and still do. The batarians see our colonies as free labor waiting to be snatched up. Have you never even thought about how aliens treat us?"

"My father was murdered by turian and batarian slavers," Will spat. "But I would never use that as some kind of justification for your sick experiments."

"I can't object to that," the lieutenant admitted. "Hephaestus is poorly organized and misguided. Our commanding officer, Commander Stafford, has wasted a ridiculous amount of time and money looking for you. Frankly, removing Doctor Stafford from the picture could have given us the chance to redirect our research toward something useful. Something that humanity can actually use. Instead, she became the catalyst for his mad thirst for revenge. At this point, I've lost what little faith I had in the project."

"Okay, I get it, you want to transfer out of your shitty department," Will said irritably, his finger dancing near the trigger of his rifle. "You still haven't told me how you're going to help us."

Prior shook his head. "Not 'us.' Only one of you needs help. Stafford is after you, Captain." He looked to Will and smirked. "And he's going to get to you eventually."

"He's practically here already," Shansa pointed out bitterly.

"I want nothing to do with Stafford," the lieutenant said plainly. "The man's a magnet for career missteps. He abuses his power as an officer and I hope I made that clear in my transfer request. With any luck he'll be replaced and his project shut down. God knows nothing useful is coming out of it now."

Will groaned and pointed his rifle angrily. "Get to the fucking point."

Prior raised his hands. "Easy, Captain." He crossed his arms over his chest once again. "Stafford may be misguided and incompetent, but his team is not. They will find you, eventually, and they will kill you. But that'd be a waste, in my opinion. From my observations, you're a smart and capable leader, so much so that I was convinced you had some kind of military training or organized merc background. Unless your records have been doctored, that's not the case." The lieutenant eyed Will closely and pointed a finger to him confidently. "Have you ever considered enlisting with Cerberus?"

After a brief, stunned silence, Will let out a laugh. "Are you serious? You are joking, right?" He looked to either side where Shansa and Tul stood. "Listen, Yussef, putting aside the fact that I wouldn't join your disgusting private military if my life depended on it, you've got some seriously flawed perceptions of my capabilities. I'm just an ordinary guy. Without these two and the rest of my crew... I'm nothing."

"Don't sell yourself short," Prior argued. "You made all the right moves. If it hadn't been for some unfortunate circumstances, well unfortunate for _you_, I'm fairly certain you would have been able to shake us off your trail. And believe me, that's not an easy accomplishment."

"Do you really think I'm the dictator of my crew, making every decision for them?" Will shook his head. "Listen, buddy, I don't know how else to break it to you, but I'm not interested."

The Cerberus officer shrugged. "I hear you. I just thought you showed some potential and wanted to offer the suggestion." He smiled diplomatically. "I don't mean this as an insult, but I didn't exactly come here with my fingers crossed hoping that you would say yes. Just some professional courtesy, really."

"Thanks for the consideration," Will answered sarcastically.

Prior smirked, but nodded understandingly. "Suit yourself. You know, loyalty has screwed over a lot of powerful men."

Will glanced once again to Shansa and Tul. "I'm willing to bet it's been the saving grace of just as many more. I'll take my chances with those odds."

"You may be right. I'll be on by way then," the lieutenant said in closing, turning toward the door.

"Actually, you're not going anywhere," Will corrected him, taking a few steps forward.

The man stopped and looked over his shoulder with his omnitool visible at his side. His finger hovered over a button at the center.

"Commander Stafford will probably find you in a few hours. If I press this button, it will be a few minutes."

Will let out a defeated sigh and lowered his gun. Tul and Shansa did the same, allowing Lieutenant Prior to continue on toward the door and tap the controls to exit. All three stared after him as the Cerberus officer slipped into the street and, just like that, was gone.

"Oh my god," Shansa finally said.

"It sounds like Stafford is crazy even by Cerberus standards," Tul'Sorrin theorized.

The three of them looked up in surprise as the door began to slide apart once again. They whipped their rifles to attention on to see T'lees raise her hands and jump backward through the door frame.

"Goddess!" She shouted.

Will immediately lowered his weapon upon seeing T'lees as well as Eleena and Welkinn behind her. "Sorry! Just... a little on edge."

"Well... you did not fire, which is enough for me," the asari said with a tired laugh.

She stepped through the door with Eleena and Welk in tow, carrying a large crate between the two of them. As the door shut behind them, Eleena motioned over her shoulder before looking to Will.

"Who was that?"

Will raised a brow.

"We saw someone walk out of here when we were getting close," Eleena clarified.

"Oh." Will closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll explain in a minute. I've got more important news." He turned and began walking back toward the airlock. "Let's get on board and prepare for departure."

"Departure?" Welkinn inquired. "Were we not here to seek the aid of your Collective?"

"Like I said," Will repeated. "More important news."

Eleena gave him a concerned look and hurried to his side. "Will, what's going on?"

He looked to her with tired eyes. "Did you get what I asked for?"

She nodded once and reached into her tool bag, pulling from it a used, but well-kept Carnifex pistol. Eleena held it out to him offeringly.

Will took the weapon his hand and smiled. "Thank you. We're going to need every gun we can get our hands on."


	22. Chapter 22

**Contingent Absolution - Volume Three**

**Chapter 22**

_**MSV Hyperion, Sahrabarik System**_

Will stared down at the pistol laying on the table in front of him. The Carnifex was to replace the one he had lost weeks prior when Cerberus had broken into his apartment and sent him and Eleena fleeing for their lives. He had inspected it thoroughly over the past two days during the downtime he and Tul'Sorrin had interjected into their mission planning. Soon he would have to break the weapon in. He looked around the table to the slightly anxious faces of his crew. Insecurity and the taint of betrayal still hung throughout the ship like a heavy fog, but Eleena and Shansa in particular seemed to have been the most affected by Kallux's choices. Will knew that Eleena didn't place her trust in others easily, and Kallux had been one of those few people she had seen fit to earn it. Shansa was simply frightened by the implications of Cerberus being too significant a threat for the RMC to handle. A legitimate fear, to be certain, but not one that Will subscribed to. He had fought against them, just as he had hundreds of others before, and there were two things that he and the rest of the crew could count on to put them on top: their intelligence and the enemy's underestimation of the crew's capabilities. That, and the fact that one always fights the hardest when they are facing certain destruction.

Tul'Sorrin stood beside Will and raised a hand. "Let's begin."

The others, all on the opposite side of the briefing table, shifted their eyes to the quarian.

"Captain Hume and I have spent the past two days sifting through every bit of intel that we have on Cerberus," Tul announced while turning on the holo-projector. "Through this, we have devised our plan of attack."

"Personally, I don't believe Cerberus is the unstoppable force that the Collective sees," Will continued. "In fact, it's made up of many small parts, cells as they call them, that each operate almost completely independently from one another." Or so their intel implied. He hoped it was accurate. "The cell we're dealing with is Hephaestus, something that we learned inadvertently from Yussef Prior when he visited a few days ago."

T'lees raised a finger to interject. "How are you so sure that the others are not involved?"

"If they were, we would have been caught weeks ago," Tul'Sorrin answered. "As a whole, Cerberus could coordinate a manhunt far greater than what we've faced. Now, we also know where the headquarters of this cell, Hephaestus Station, is located. The data we gathered from Doctor Stafford's lab on Garvug indicates that this station is new and perhaps not yet fully operational."

Welkinn crossed his arms. "And this is our target? The heart of Hephaestus?"

Will nodded affirmatively. "That's right."

"Are we to assume they will allow us to walk right in?" The batarian asked, doubtfully.

"Not at all," Tul'Sorrin assured him. "Because we _won't_ be walking in. We'll be flying in."

The projector updated to display a small star system. One planet, Ishassara, was marked with a red triangle in orbit and the the words "Hephaestus Station" floating nearby. One of the moons of the nearby planet Sarapai was marked as well, however, this indicator was green and labeled as "Departure." Tul waved a hand to turn the crew's attention to the display.

"This is the Tassrah System, the home of Hephaestus. The station orbits the planet Ishassara, here." The quarian motioned toward the green marker. "This, however, is the second moon of Sarapai, where the processing for incoming test subjects takes place. Every few days a shuttle leaves this moon with about a dozen people and is delivered to the station. The shuttle is our ticket in."

The crew stood in silence, waiting for him to continue.

"We'll falsify our ID databanks the same way we did when were hunting Narenthus Antarian and disguise ourselves as a small freighter bringing in some last-minute purchases. Once we've landed, we'll make our way inside and shut down their comms before taking over the facility."

"You think that's possible?" Eleena asked. "They already know who we are. What the ship looks like... what _we_ look like."

Will sighed. "It's true. This plan hinges on the assumption that this facility is not part of their combat unit and, hopefully, isn't as looped in on the full details of their hunt for us. That said, Tul will do everything he can to monitor and block their outbound communications remotely until we shut down their broadcasting units manually."

"All this will be timed to take place shortly before one of these scheduled deliveries," Tul added.

"So, we steal their transport and fly into the station?" Shansa deduced.

"Precisely," Tul answered curtly. "Once inside, things could get ugly. We'll use the small size of our squad to move as quickly and quietly as possible to find a way into their network. Once we've got that, our lives will be significantly easier."

"That gets us inside," T'lees reiterated, "but what will we do then?"

Will looked to his side where Tul'Sorrin stood. "Tul?"

The quarian placed his hands on the table and took a deep breath. "I've looked at some of the specs for the station. I believe that with the correct amount of tampering, I can force a catastrophic self-destruction of the central power unit. At the very least, it will destabilize the station's orbit and send it falling out of the sky."

"This sounds... ambitious," Welkinn asserted with a hint of apprehension.

"Yes, it is," Will admitted plainly. "But we've taken on worse. Hell, we destroyed Project Sommesh with less of a plan than we have now."

The batarian grinned. "I did not mean that as a slight, Captain."

Will smiled slightly before looking to the others. "Any questions or objections?"

Shansa raised a hand. "What will I be doing after I fly you to the station? And where are we leaving the ship?"

Tul'Sorrin and Will exchanged a quick glance.

"Actually, Shan... we need you to stay on the _Hyperion,_" Will answered.

The pilot pursed her lips ever-so-slightly in disappointment. "Will, I can fight. I've been practicing so hard and there's-"

"Shansa," he interrupted firmly. "The _Hyperion_ has to be ready to pick us up when we extract. Plus, I expect Cerberus to begin looking for the ship immediately once they realize what's happening and you'll have to evade their searching."

Shansa frowned and dropped her gaze. "If that's what you need me to do."

"If it helps, I've got something that will make things easier for you," Tul'Sorrin added with a soft, apologetic voice.

She looked up as he spoke and looked to where his eyes would be beneath his mask.

"I've updated the ship's severely outdated cyber-warfare suite," the quarian explained. "I wrote a few functions that will help with evasion. There's a comm scrambler, a virus that will disrupt thrust control..." He nodded confidently. "The VI will handle everything after you initialize the attacks."

The pilot took in a calming breath and nodded. "Alright. Will you show me how to work them?"

"Absolutely," Tul'Sorrin answered.

"What are we expecting in terms of resistance?" Eleena inquired.

Tul crossed his arms. "Anywhere between fifty and a hundred soldiers. It depends on how many of the total contingent are at the station when we attack."

Will looked around the table and raised a brow. "Anything else?"

The others stood confidently, raising no objections. Will waited an extra few seconds before glancing to Tul and placing his hand on the quarian's shoulder.

"I'll take that as a no. Tul's in charge of this. The timing, the movements, it's all him."

Tul nodded. "But, while I will be directing the attack, Captain Hume will be leading it." He shifted his gaze across the group. "Shall we get to work?"

* * *

Tul pointed and nodded toward a list of functions on the central viewscreen. Shansa, who sat across from him in the pilot's seat, watched and listened closely as he carefully explained the purposes of each of the cyber-warfare attacks. Will stood in the doorway, absorbing the information as best he could while watching the two of them as they spoke.

"And, of course, you have the communications scrambler," Tul concluded as he reached the final portion of the list. "I didn't write this one from scratch, so it's a little old, but it should hold up just fine."

Shansa smiled and turned her eyes from the screen to the quarian. "Feels like my birthday," she said with a small laugh. "Thanks for setting this up, Tul."

"Of course," he answered, sitting back in the copilot's seat. "Let me know if you have any questions so we can get it sorted out before... well, before we're in the thick of it."

"I think I got it," she assured him.

Tul nodded. "Good. This should allow you to keep an enemy ship or two distracted and confused for at least ten or fifteen minutes."

Shansa pushed a few errant strands of hair into place behind her ear. "Sounds like you did a lot of work."

"Heh, I suppose," the quarian admitted. "The hardest part was the algorithm I had to write to systematically search for firewall weaknesses _before_ the functions themselves were isolated in the enemy system. That allows them to find and prepare a new way in long before the first one can even be shut."

"Sounds pretty hard," Shansa complimented.

Tul shrugged and looked over to her. "You know me. I like it when things are difficult." The quarian pulled himself to his feet. "Did you get all that, Captain?"

Will stood to the side of the doorway. "Yeah, I think I've got the gist of it."

Tul'Sorrin zipped past him and into the hallway. "Excellent! I'll be back in a few minutes so we can set the course. This needs to be timed perfectly!"

Will watched after Tul until he turned into the bunkroom before looking back to Shansa. The pilot had continued to stare with a small, sad smile lingering in her features. Will stepped into the cockpit and dropped to the copilot's seat, his eyes still on her.

"You okay, Shan?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." She turned to him and sighed. "Just a little..."

"Anxious?" Will asked.

Shansa shook her head. "Disappointed."

He raised a brow. "Disappointed? What with?"

She shifted and averted her gaze. "Remember how I had plans on the Citadel?"

Will nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Shansa lowered her voice and continued to stare toward the ground. "I was going to get a drink... with Tul."

"In a sexy dress..." Will continued.

She looked up to him and nodded with a bashful smile.

Will let out a low whistle and grinned. "Shan, I didn't know you two-"

"We didn't! There isn't... I- I was trying to find out if, you know, if he was interested at all," Shansa explained with an air of defeat.

"Is he?" Will asked quietly.

Shansa shrugged. "I don't know. It's something I'll think about later. Once all of this is settled and we actually have time."

"Yeah. I know how you feel," Will said with a chuckle. "So you're ready? Nothing else you need?"

The pilot looked to her console and slowly scanned the panels spread out before her. Nothing significant on them had changed in the past few minutes, they both knew, but Will did not mind waiting patiently for her answer. Shansa made a few adjustments on the nav panel before finally turning back to him.

"Always ready, Will," she answered.

Will smirked softly. "You know I worry about leaving you on the ship by yourself."

Shansa rolled her eyes and shook her head playfully. "I get nearly killed by _one_ little batarian hit-squad and suddenly you turn into my mother."

"Yeah, fuck me for caring about you, right?" Will joked as he pulled himself to his feet.

She smiled apologetically and touched his arm. "The ship and I will be fine," she assured him.

Will nodded and grasped her hand, giving it a single squeeze before releasing an stepping into the hall. "I'll hold you to that."

A few feet down the hall he reached the door to the crew's quarters. He peered inside to see T'lees standing at the kitchenette, sorting through a few boxes of food supplies that she had pulled from one of the crates at her feet. Will placed his hand on the door frame and stepped inside. He made his way to the table and placed his hand on one of the chairs, leaning to his side as he watched the asari work. Having clearly heard him enter, T'lees turned her head to gaze her eye over her shoulder and back toward Will. She smiled softly before returning to her task.

"Hello, Captain Hume," she greeted warmly.

Will took in a deep breath and walked to the kitchenette, stopping at her side. "Hey, Fayneer."

He leaned down to the crate and grabbed a few boxes. Will had stocked these shelves a hundred times over the past few years and knew precisely the correct orientation to maximize the shelf space. He looked up to the cabinet T'lees had been stocking to see, much to his surprise, a perfectly organized set of boxes. With half of the space available, he reached up and slid his own containers onto the shelf.

"I appreciate the help," she said offhandedly.

"Captain's gotta get his hands dirty once in a while," Will joked as he reached for another few boxes.

T'lees chuckled softly as she turned the box in her hand over once or twice, her eye looking it over carefully. "I was thinking of preparing a nice meal in a few hours," she informed him. "Something to help keep everyone in high spirits for our mission."

"That's a great idea," Will responded with an encouraging nod. "Got anything in mind?"

"Oh, not yet," she answered with a small smile.

Will watched out of the corner of his eye as the asari continued to stare at the box.

"Doing alright, Fayneer? You seem a little lost," he observed.

T'lees cracked an amused smile and shook her head. She reached up and slid the box onto the shelf before turning to face him.

"I was actually doing quite well until you walked in," the asari admitted. "You do not call me by given name unless something is troubling you. So tell me, are _you_ holding up well, Captain Hume? Do you think we can do this?"

Will set the container in his hand on the counter and turned to lean against it. He placed his hands at his sides and looked up to the ceiling as he considered the question.

"At this point I don't even know," he answered truthfully.

T'lees turned and stood beside him, placing one arm across her torso to support her other arm's elbow as she gently cradled her cheek in a contemplative pose.

"If you would care for them, allow me to share my thoughts," she began. "I have been alive for four hundred and fifty-eight years. At least three hundred of those have been spent doing things that a wealthy woman from Armali would never consider a wise life choice." T'lees paused to correct herself. "That is, a _once_ wealthy woman." She looked to him. "I consider myself a loyal individual, but I have no intention of dying at my age; I still have half of my matron years ahead of me. If I truly thought our plan was a suicide mission, I would make you very aware."

"So you're saying I shouldn't be worried?" Will asked.

T'lees smiled softly. "Not entirely. But a little fright can be good for one's motivation, no?"

Will smirked. "So I _should_ be worried, just to a moderate extent. And I'm getting the sense from you that you think this mission is dangerous, but not completely out of the realm of sanity. Any more wishy-washy assurances?"

"Wishy-washy? Captain, I am simply remaining objective towards all possible outcomes," she teased with a small grin. "Moderation and diplomacy is the asari way, after all."

"Well, thanks for the pep-talk. Really did me some good," Will muttered sarcastically as he stood and began walking for the door.

"William."

He turned to see her standing with an earnest smile. T'lees took a few steps forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I believe in your leadership and I trust in the crew," she said to him very matter-of-factly. "We will make it through the coming days. I am sure of it."

Will nodded softly. "Thanks, Fayneer."

"It is my pleasure, Captain," the asari responded as she turned to resume her task.

With the feeling of a slight weight having been lifted from his shoulders, Will stepped into the hall and turned for the aft compartment. He looked around the cargo bay as he approached the door and frowned. The Kodiak was still in terrible shape. Eleena had done all that she could for the small craft, but the various holes in the hull would prevent them from taking into space safely. It might even tear apart in atmosphere if flown at high enough velocity. Will turned his attention to the armory where he saw Ralliston standing at his workbench, not in prayer for once.

"Getting some last-minute work done?" Will asked while walking toward the batarian.

The cleric looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Yes. My rifle needs to be cleaned regularly, unlike most modern, mass accelerator based weaponry. The large projectiles can cause a fine build up that, over time, can affect the performance of the weapon."

Will came to a stop at his side and looked down at the partially disassembled harpoon rifle. "You know, I'm surprised you still use that thing."

"It's really not hard to handle with some practice," Welkinn argued.

"Not because of that." Will stared down at the weapon for a moment before looking up to him. "You killed a lot of innocent people with this gun, didn't you?"

The batarian's expression slackened as his hands, once working on reassembling the rifle, came to a stop. He stood in silence for a few moments. Finally, he drew in a calm breath and turned his gaze to Will.

"I did," Welkinn answered in a hushed tone. "Your point?"

"I thought that you would have gotten rid of it with this whole... quest for absolution," Will explained, raising his brow out of curiosity.

Welkinn nodded once. "I considered it. But I felt that I needed something to tie the two phases of my life together. A constant, if you will." He reached down and picked up a portion of the barrel to slide it into position with the body of the rifle. "It reminds me of what I've done. As long I have this with me, I will never lose sight of the goal just beyond the horizon. I will never be tempted to call my mission complete."

"You don't think you'll ever do enough?" Will asked.

"No, I believe I will, someday," he answered. "But it will not be until the Pillars give me a sign."

"And you don't know what that sign is," Will concluded.

The batarian smiled knowingly. "I will know it when it appears."

Will nodded. "I hope it's a good one," he mused. "Until then... I'm really glad to have you with us, Welk."

Welkinn ran his fingers across the length of the rifle. "Cerberus will know pain. Vengeance. I'm proud to be with you."

The batarian was already deeply focused in his work. Will watched briefly before walking from the workbench to the door of the engineering compartment. He stepped through the open door and looked from side to side in search of the a certain asari. Not seeing her in the main chamber, he walked to one of the thruster passageways and peered through. Nothing. He turned to the other and checked it to find the passageway and small compartment empty as well.

"Hmm."

Will made is way back to the forward hall and smiled as he spotted Tul and Shansa talking to one another in the cockpit. He stepped into the bunkroom and sighed when he found it empty as well. With only one last place to check, he walked to the corner of the room and jumped up the first few rungs of the ladder that ascended to the loft. He gave the hatch a hefty push, sending it open with a clang. Will pulled himself up and into the small room to see Eleena lounging on the couch with her head leaned back and eyes closed.

"Just assuming I would find you up here?" Will asked as he shut the hatch behind him.

Her lips curled into a small smile. "I knew you'd run out of places to check eventually."

"Been up here long?" He sat down beside her and leaned his head back, shutting his eyes as she did.

"Just a little while. I was about to pull out that book you gave me," Eleena mentioned.

"Heh, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting," Will said apologetically.

"It's no problem, Will. I've got all the time in the world."

The two of them opened their eyes in almost perfect unison and turned their heads to gaze into each other's eyes. Eleena moved a hand to grasp his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm looking forward to taking this damn fight to Cerberus. It's about fucking time. Think we're ready for this?" She asked.

Will thought for a moment before speaking. "Yeah. We're ready."

Eleena nodded with a grin. "That's the right answer."

He chuckled softly. "Have I ever told you how helpful it is having you as a motivator?"

"Well, I do my best to push everybody to be on the top of their game around here," she noted happily.

"Heh, it's more than just that," Will said quietly. "Having _you_ is a motivator. It gives me a reason to keep going."

"You've got plenty of reasons to keep going," Eleena pointed out.

Will shrugged. "Yeah. But one reason trumps all the others."

"Goddess, you are a flirt," she said, rolling her eyes with a smile.

He smiled serenely. It was the first time in days that he didn't have the possibility of their impending doom on his mind. The asari clearly looked as though her mind was preoccupied.

Eleena let out a deep breath after a short silence. "I've been thinking a lot about my mother lately."

"Yeah? What about?" Will tilted his head curiously.

"I think I might look her up. See where she is and what she's been doing," she answered cautiously.

He gave her a surprised look. "I thought you two parted on bad terms."

"You could say that," Eleena muttered irritably.

"So this wouldn't be a friendly visit," Will guessed.

She shook her head in objection. "No. It would. I think I'd like to patch things up with her. You know, assuming she'd be willing to apologize for..." Eleena trailed off. "Uggh."

"Go on..." Will nudged.

Eleena looked to him and smiled apologetically. "Some other time. I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have brought it up. There's no need to drag our night down."

Will made a mental note to pester her about the issue later.

She sighed. "We've probably got at least five or six hours."

"Hope you don't have plans," Will jested.

"Until Shansa or Tul sends the call... it's just us," she said decisively.

Will drew in and released a long, happy breath. "I love you, Eleena."

The asari raised a hand to cup his cheek and rub it affectionately with her thumb. "And I love you, Will."

Eleena lifted his chin gently as she leaned toward him. He mirrored the action gladly and pressed his lips to hers, allowing them to share a deep, lengthy kiss.

"Thanks for always having my back," Will said at nearly a whisper as their lips parted. "You know, your trust may be tough to bargain for, but it's definitely worth the effort."

She smirked. "My trust was never for sale, Will. You earned it because you're a good person. Better than I'll ever be."

"You know that's not true," he objected.

"Shh."

A beautiful silence settled between them with only the ambient hum of the ship to fill the room. Will looked down to the space beside Eleena on the couch and nodded toward the book that lay cover-up.

"You were thinking of starting that?"

Eleena followed his gaze and glanced down to the novel. "Mhmm."

He reached over and picked up the book, thumbing through a few of the old pages as he brought it to his lap. "Wanna read it together? We can take turns."

"That sounds nice," she said with a small yawn. "You start."

Will smirked and opened the cover as Eleena leaned closer into his side, placing her head on his shoulder. Her eyes slid shut as she waited for him to begin. He looked down at the first line of _The Silent, Endless Night_ and began to read aloud.

"Many years ago, when I visited the city for the first time, I heard someone say that the night is only the darkest just before dawn. Even in my youth I knew that the person who said this, an important businessman by the looks of him, was tragically wrong. As a young boy growing up in the furthest outskirts of the rural town of Nazarovo, I had learned at a very young age that the night is always at its darkest, and always thirty for blood."


End file.
